A Beautiful Lie
Author Irfan Master
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Story
Set in India in 1947, Bilal is looking after his father who is dying of cancer. His father hates the idea of India being divided so Bilal tries to hide the truth about the violence beginning to erupt around him.
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Why we chose it
A story set at the time of the Partition of India and creation of Pakistan and shows the impact of Partition on families and friends. Bilal’s love for his father and loyalty of his friends are beautifully portrayed.
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What a young reviewer said
I thought the general concept of the lie and how it spirals out of control was an interesting one, and I found that the book did a good job of building tension towards the end. (Henry, age 15)
Story Reviews
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This novel is set in India in 1947 at the time of the Partition, and follows Bilal, who lives through the growing unrest and tries to protect his dying father, who believes that India should remain as one entity, from finding out about the impending partition, by doing whatever he can. Though I might not have necessarily thought a novel based in real history would be something I would particularly like, I did quite enjoy reading this. I thought the general concept of the lie and how it spirals out of control was an interesting one, and I found that the book did a good job of building tension towards the end. I also found that, unlike many other books that are not part of a series, the ending was actually quite satisfying.