A novel set in Fiji in 1914 about a missing indentured Indian woman was bound to be intriguing. This debut historical fiction by Australian author Nilima Rao was a page-turner, enlightening the reader about the conditions of Indian Indentured workers early last century.

A young Sikh policeman, Akal Singh is posted from Hong Kong to Fiji in disgrace.  He is sent to a distant cane plantation to find a missing indentured Indian woman. The plantation owner declares she has run off with the overseer with whom she has been having an affair. A parish priest challenges that by saying she’s been kidnapped.  When Singh arrives at the plantation, he finds that not all is what it seems and he is shocked by the work conditions of his fellow countrymen.

There are several themes in this book, the colonial system, racism as well as the class divide not just between the races but even within the Indian community. Of course, sexism is explored and the way women are treated, where questions of justice and morals contradict the system of exploitation by the colonial system. The brutality and squalor of the indentured system was well portrayed.

 I liked the comradery between Akal and the white doctor who is pleasingly on the side of justice. There are times where I yearned for Akal to look a little wider, his investigation slow at first but becomes more energetic as his confidence grows.

 It makes for a very compelling story with a nice twist at the end. Yet it still lends itself to a sequel. I’ll look out for that one.