The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani is a historical fiction book. The story takes place in 1947.
India has just freed itself from British rule and the country has been split into two countries, India
and Pakistan. The Hindu went to India and the Muslim went to Pakistan. Nisha and her twin
brother are half-Muslim and half-Hindu. Their Papa decides they must become refugees
because they are no longer safe in Pakistan. Nisha lost her mother as a baby, and now as she
is leaving the only place she has ever thought of as home, she feels like she is losing yet
another piece of her mother. However, Nisha has a new way of connecting with her mother.
The book is written in Nisha’s letters to her mother. She sees it as a way of speaking to her
mother without words. Through the journey, Nisha begins to realize that this is what every
refugee is doing. They are speaking loud and clear, yet nobody has to say a word. I liked this
book and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction books. I liked that the book
was told through letters because it gave the book a new perspective of a girl writing letters to
her mother.