Miss Timmins' School for Girls

Miss Timmins' School for Girls

By Nayana Currimbouy

In 1974, Charulatta Apte is a young girl living with her parents in India. She is an only child and the loving light of her parents life. Charu is a smart, shy girl who lives on the edge of society due to a "blot," as she calls the scarlet birthmark, on the side of her face. The blot defines her life as she knows it and Charu has never been brave enough to venture out of the shell she created. After college Charu gets a job teaching English literature in a small mountain village boarding school. Miss Timmins' School for Girls is based on the British system and ideals of the missionaries of times past. Charu learns about love, loss, sexuality and her own inner strength after the mysterious death of a fellow teacher called Prince. A coming of age story with a murder mystery, this Indian novel contains the smells, sounds and quirky language of young girls in search for acceptance and happiness. If you enjoy the novels of India, this is a must read.