The Sandalwood Treet

I thoroughly enjoyed The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark which was set in India in two different times. An American couple Evie and Martin go to India with their 5-year old son in 1947 so Martin can study the effects of Partition. India is thrown in to turmoil when Partition is brought forward and Moslems and Hindus scramble to their British designated areas. Evie and Martin are struggling with their marriage as Martin is haunted by his European wartime memories and refuses to discuss them with Evie. So Evie is left to find her own interests and then discovers some correspondence hidden behind a brick in the wall of their house. The letters date back to the 1850s when the "Indian revolution" was just beginning and as she probes further through records of the time she finds a story of forbidden love. The author beautifully blended the two time periods, two love stories, two significant periods in Indian history. Highly recommended. 5/5