First published 2007
Lakshmi grows vegetables in her small plot and plays with her baby sister in their remote Himalayan village. She dreams of earning money to buy her sick mother a tin roof like the other houses have. Their family struggles with severe poverty in the mountains of Nepal. When devastating floods destroy their crops, Lakshmi's stepfather makes a desperate choice. He sells her to a woman who promises work as a house servant for wealthy people. The stepfather tells Lakshmi this job will solve their problems. Instead, the trafficker takes her into a world of brutal violence. Lakshmi faces horrors but refuses to lose herself. She finds ways to show kindness to other girls trapped in the same nightmare. She shares their pain and their small moments of joy. Lakshmi's determination to survive with her spirit intact becomes her path forward. Her bravery will decide what happens next.
Genres: fiction, abuse, contemporary, adolescence
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: resilience, survival
Setting: Himalayan, Nepal
Period: contemporary
248 pages · Paperback · Editorial Presença
Content warnings: child-abuse, trafficking, violence