Overall, what did you think of "Girls Burn Brighter"? (no spoilers in this thread please)

I just finished it. I had never read anything written about India or countries similar. What a touching story - and I am so glad I read it. Will be looking forward to more from Ms. Rao.

Overall I think the writing and characterizations are marvelous. But the cruelty, graphic violence and suffering the girls endured took my breath away. I literally held my breath while reading these passages. It gave me a bad feeling in my gut to imagine the sheer hopelessness of their experiences. That they were able to absorb such abject cruelty and remain as hopeful for the future as they did was inspirational.

I know a few Indian expats and cannot envision that they call the same country home. How can such drastic inequality exist within the same boundaries? That sounds weird coming from an American, I know. And I may have lead a sheltered life - and I fully acknowledge our own country’s inequalities - but it seems as though Indian women of Savitha and Poonima’s class have no champions even among their own gender.

If anyone reading this knows better than I about the true circumstances please give me some hope for the future of girls like Poornima & Savitha.

I found it very difficult to read, but at the same time I couldn't put it down. Excellent writing and highlights sex trafficking that still happens today.

I found this book hard to read in places. There's so much sadness and seemingly unsurmountable odds at every turn. I appreciate that this is a reality for many people across the globe and it is a necessary thing to process for awareness of the plight of humanity. However, it's brutal and not reading that I would categorize as enjoyable per se. Excellent in small doses but not a book easily digested. That being said, I appreciated the writing style and overall message of the book.

The book is such a compelling but difficult read. Usually such vivid and lengthy depictions of sexual violence would be too triggering and not worth the risk. I do think that we ought to have been provided a warning, however. (Maybe we were and I didn't notice). Something about the writer's style allowed me to get through it, however. I think that she doesn't do what most stories do and utilize the shock element of such scenes. Instead I knew almost from the first few pages that something bad was going to happen to Poornima and when Savitha is introduced, even more so. But not in that anxiety-inducing way, it was more like this is just the context of their lives, their society. This is how they live and what they can expect to face. Maybe I just know enough about it already so I wasn't surprised.

I don't know if I would recommend this book or not - it depends on the reader and what they can handle. I haven't finished the book quite yet so I'm on the fence about whether I could say it was worth getting through the harsh imagery.

That being said, it really is a compelling read. I can't put it down when I have the time to read it. And that's because of the way the two characters are written - I really want to spend time with them and hear their stories even knowing how painful they are.