I was talking with a coworker the other day about “the one that got away.” No, not lovers, books. She was talking about a series she read in middle school about fairies and how frustrating it is to not be able to revisit that series because she can’t remember enough details to find the name.
My book that got away was about a girl who was born during the rainy season. She remarks that she was 2 years old before she ever knew what it was like to be dry. Her family was poor so they sold her to some geisha-type house. She learns to dance here and her whole life is devoted to dancing from then on. There’s also a significant scene where she jumps into a fire and starts dancing (maybe? my brain is very fuzzy on that detail). This scene might come before she is sold. When she grows older and successful in her dancing career she eventually revisits her family in an elegant sari and they reject her (again, I think). The book placed a lot of significance on the saris that she wore throughout the story and these descriptions gripped me and drove me to researching Indian culture.
Does anyone have a clue what this book could be? I feel as though I’ve been chasing it for decades. I’ve included every detail I can remember.
by queenschmecca
2 Comments
Was it Memoirs of a Geisha?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memoirs_of_a_Geisha
When I think fairies I always think the rainbow fairies books. Iconic.