THE NIGHT DIARY

In 1947, political and religious upheaval divided India. Millions of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs crossed the border into what is now Pakistan, fleeing sectarian violence. Narrator Priya Ayyar's Indian accent adds authenticity to this historical story in which Nisha and her Hindu family must leave their home in Pakistan due to the unrest. Ayyar's modulation changes little but fits the reticent Nisha, a girl who struggles with speaking aloud and writes in her diary to her late mother, who was Muslim. However, when the family witnesses atrocities and Nisha reveals her horror in her diary, Ayyar emotes true distress. Ayyar's voice gains some cheerfulness when Nisha's brother recovers from near death and when she makes a Muslim friend while in hiding. A haunting story of a turbulent time. L.T. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2018]