The Sandalwood Tree

The Sandalwood Tree

Elle Newmark

It is 1947. Americans Martin and Evie have come to India because historian Martin has won a Fullbright scholarship to study the Partition. Evie has insisted on coming along in the hopes of bridging the distance that has grown between them ever since Martin returned from the battlefields of Europe.

Things don't go as Evie had hoped, however, as the distance between them seems to widen as they try to settle into their new surroundings.

One day, as Evie is cleaning the bungalow in which they've been staying, she finds a tidy little packet of letters that had been hidden away behind a loose brick by one of the bungalow's long-ago tenants.

In her loneliness and isolation, Evie becomes obsessed with the story of the two unconventional Victorian ladies who were the letters' correspondents. Adela and Felicity had come to India during the 1850's, ostensibly as part of the Raj's "fishing fleet", but in reality, in an effort to escape strict Victorian societal constraints.

I loved The Sandalwood Tree. The writing flowed beautifully. The two stories were masterfully interwoven together with the backdrop, creating a gorgeous, luminous tapestry.

I definitely give The Sandalwood Tree two thumbs up!