Jaipur Moon (The Colonials)
Set in Jaipur during the later years of the Raj in the 1930s, it’s clear from the first few pages of this novel that the plot involves the avoidance of a scandal and the giving away of a secret baby. The mystery is soon revealed to the reader and also just one of three eighteen-year-old girls – either Eleanor, Harriet or Alice – who belong in the privileged British colonial circle, their fathers being exporters or factory owners. This particular girl is naturally shocked and angry with such unwelcome knowledge and makes plans to make life difficult for one of the others. In the process, parents clash, friendships become complicated, as do romantic relationships with a group of young men, one of whom gets himself involved in a nefarious activity.
The descriptions of the city and regions around Jaipur and asides into Indian history are lively and informative. However, as the reader is already aware of the secret, there is no mystery or tension in the main narrative that contains swathes of repetitive, stilted and pedestrian dialogue. Characterisation also suffers with all three girls being so similar, ever blushing and giggling, taking sightseeing trips and dreaming of who they are going to marry but little else. Their disapproving or indulgent parents and intended swains are likewise stiff-upper-lip colonial stereotypes, again often indistinguishable from one another. There are a few brief mentions of Gandhi, but Indians are mostly nonexistent. The subplot featuring illegal gem exports could have added much more excitement than it does. If you’re in the mood for an undemanding and lightweight read, then this may appeal.
