"Atlas of Unknowns"

"Atlas of Unknowns," by the Indian-American author Tania James, has just come out in paperback (Vintage, 2010). I read this engrossing novel when it was originally published in 2009, partly because I am always interested in novels about India and about Indians in the U.S., and partly because I am drawn to stories about sisters (perhaps because I don't have any, and wonder what it would be like to have them?). Two sisters, Linno and Anju, grow up in India; Anju wins a scholarship and goes to the U.S. to study, betraying her sister in the process. After various plot twists and troubles, Anju leaves the American school and disappears. We readers know she is safe, although unhappy, but Linno and the rest of the family does not. Linno has had success in India, due to her artistic talents, and she tries to go to the U.S. to find Anju. Despite all the secrets and sadnesses, the sisters' bond is inspiring. This is a good old-fashioned plot- and character-driven story, told extremely well; the cultural aspects regarding both India and the United States are of interest as well.