Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins #Bookreview

Title: Secret Keeper
Author: Mitali Perkins
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published Date:  January 13th, 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction, India, Realistic Fiction, Family
Page Count: 240
Format: Hardcover 

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ .5

Goodreads Summary: 
When her father loses his job and leaves India to look for work in America, Asha Gupta, her older sister, Reet, and their mother must wait with Baba’s brother and his family, as well as their grandmother, in Calcutta. Uncle is welcoming, but in a country steeped in tradition, the three women must abide by his decisions. Asha knows this is temporary—just until Baba sends for them. But with scant savings and time passing, the tension builds: Ma, prone to spells of sadness, finds it hard to submit to her mother- and sister-in-law; Reet’s beauty attracts unwanted marriage proposals; and Asha's promise to take care of Ma and Reet leads to impulsive behavior. What follows is a firestorm of rebuke—and secrets revealed! Asha’s only solace is her rooftop hideaway, where she pours her heart out in her diary, and where she begins a clandestine friendship with Jay Sen, the boy next door. Asha can hardly believe that she, and not Reet, is the object of Jay’s attention. Then news arrives about Baba . . . and Asha must make a choice that will change their lives forever.

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 My Review:

"It was the only way she could have kept her promise to her Baba."

Set in 1970's India that's on the brink of change, Asha and her family have fallen on tough times. Asha, her sister Reet and their mother have to move in with their fathers family while he goes to America start a new life. Once he's got enough money he will send for them, but in the meantime, they are stuck waiting.

During this time Asha and Reet are expected to act a certain way, and their mother is constantly belittled by their aunt and grandmother who still don't think she is good enough to be in the family. With Asha not having the same freedoms as she's used to and trying to keep the peace between the two sides of the family, she is left wanting more and impatiently waiting for her father to get them. She ends up taking huge risks in order to protect her sister and to make her mother smile again.

Overall I really enjoyed this novel, Asha is a character that finds ways to overcome the obstacles that her family placed in her way. She shows them that she is just as capable of doing things as her male cousin Raj, and she might just actually be better than him at certain things. Asha's and Raj friendship was so nice to see, and how Raj stuck up for them and tried to help them was one of my favorite parts of the story.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the friendship/romance that Asha had with Jay. The question that she asked him was a hard one, and they all ended up sacrificing something because of it. I really want to read more by Perkins now and I can't wait to get them from my library!