Fifteen Lanes

by S.J. Laidlaw

Genres: Young Adult; YA Social Themes

Synopsis

A heartbreaking novel that explores the lives and relationship of two very different girls -- a resilient Indian girl and a troubled Canadian teen -- set in the fifteen lanes that comprise Mumbai's red light district.

Eleven-year-old Noor, who lives in a Mumbai brothel with her mother and siblings, is grateful for the opportunity to go to school, hoping it will give her a chance to escape her fate of following in her mother's footsteps and being sold into the sex trade. Although she is resilient, capable and wise beyond her years, her life as the eldest daughter of a sex worker is full of struggle and challenge.
Living in the same city is Grace, the Canadian teenage daughter of a CEO of one of the largest international banks in India. A child of privilege, Grace faces her own torments when she is cyber-bullied.
Told in alternating voices, Fifteen Lanes exposes readers to a shocking and captivating world. When Noor and Grace eventually meet at an NGO support center for women and children, they make a connection that changes their lives.

Release date: April 5, 2016

Publisher: Tundra Books

Print pages: 256