Tilo is a woman from the Indian subcontinent who has been given the power of spices and runs a small store in Oakland, California. She was trained by an order of sorceresses to use spices to heal customers' troubles, but she must follow strict rules, such as never leaving the shop or touching another person. Her clients include a Sikh teenager, a taxi driver and a lonely grandfather. When she falls in love with an American man, she must decide whether to break her vow. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni mixes magic with the immigrant experience.
It suits readers who like magical realism and fiction about food. The prose is lush and sensuous.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1997
- Language
- EN
