Review by Ms. Ingrid Strange
If I Tell the Truth by Jasmin Kaur, chronicles Kiran’s life as an undocumented refugee from India for 18 years in Canada, spotlights the cultural differences of how women are viewed in India versus Canada and the US; and the fear of returning to a country or life in which they are forced to be in abusive relationships or arranged marriages which is one of the dominant causes for women to remain in hiding. Doing so further victimizes them as they are not able to hold down jobs legitimately and are often taken advantage of in low paying jobs or used as sex workers.
What I loved about this book was how it was written both in poetry and prose. It also has both Kiran’s voice and her daughter Sahaara’s voice, in first person narration. This gave the reader the feeling that they were reading a journal while also providing the imagery that painted pictures in words, drawing the reader in even further. The author relied on dialogue also, which made the reader a part of the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to others.