The Night Diary

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

This historical fiction book tells this experiences of a family during the partition of India. They lived in what is now Pakistan. Their father was Hindu and their mother was Muslim. Their father is a doctor, but their mother died a while ago. Since they are Hindu, they must travel to the other side of the line. Despite originally being wealthy, they are now struggling like others. They had to walk in the heat. Water became a valued commodity. Muslims and Hindus would kill each other to avenge past deaths. Even train rides could be dangerous. At the midpoint, they stay at an uncle's house. They spy a little girl and talk with her. This spooks the father and they immediately flee. This time they take a train due to Grandma's poor condition. They witness attacks and deaths on the train. They eventually make it to new India and gradually build up a new life. This does bring to life the personal experiences that people had struggled through during the time period.