This month we will be reading The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi.

Seventeen-year-old Lakshmi escapes an abusive marriage and makes her way to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. She becomes the best and most requested henna artist -- and confidante -- to wealthy women of upper class. But keeping the secrets of the wealthy means she can never reveal her own. She is startled when she is confronted by her husband, with a young girl in tow -- a sister Lakshmi never knew about. Suddenly the life she has carefully cultivated is threatened. Still she applies her talents and lifts up those around her as she does.