Meera’s future has been planned for her for as long as she can remember. As a child, her parents married her to a boy from a neighboring village whom she barely knows. Later, on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, she prepares to leave her family to live with her husband’s–just as her strict religion dictates. But that night, Indian soldiers mutiny against their British commanders and destroy the British ammunition depot, burning down parts of Delhi. Riots follow, and Meera’s husband is killed. Upon hearing the news, Meera’s father insists that she follow the dictates of their fringe religious sect: She must end her life by throwing herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.
- ISBN: 9781643790404
- Published: 2021 , Lee & Low Book
- Themes: girls and women, Overcoming fears, Prejudice and racism
- Descriptors: Asia, Historical Fiction, India, Intermediate (ages 9-14)
- No. of pages: 324