In The Lost Book of Mala R by Rose MacDowell, the year is 1948 and young Mala is a gypsy exiled from her community when her predictions indicate some disastrous events will take place. With no money or place to go, Mala sets out to find the woman from her past who took care of her when she was a child. As she travels, she keeps a journal full of bits and pieces from her spells and her life.
The book flips from 1948 to present day California in a community where three women struggle with issues in their lives. There’s Linda whose precocious ten- year old step daughter has just gone missing, Christina’s husband is a suspect in a murder case and Audrey is an unhappy social worker who is having an affair with one of her clients.
One day Linda discovers Mala’s journal at a garage sale and the three women set out to discover more about this mysterious Mala, both through the words on the pages of the journal and by trying to track her down.
The author does a great job of keeping the reader hooked, I loved reading about Mala plus the three other women, and their struggles to improve their lives and find love and find answers.
The end of the book made me teary eyed. If you are searching for a gripping novel, check out The Lost Book of Mala R.
