A Disappearance in Fiji, Nilima Rao

In the author's notes at the back of A DISAPPEARANCE IN FIJI, Nilima Rao provides background to the thinking behind this novel, including the structure of the Indian indentured servitude program, established by the British overseen, Indian government, coming into its own when slavery was abolished. Why am I not surprised that this was yet another example of utter bastardry, arranging for Indian workers, desperate to improve their lives however marginally, to be sent to places like Trinidad, Jamaica, and Mauritius on fixed period contracts with working and living conditions that were utterly shameful. Why am I not surprised that this lead to sexual and physical abuse by ruthless plantation owners, and from 1879 to 1916, over 60,000 Indians being sent into slavery by another name in Fiji, with 30,000 remaining after their contract periods expired. Amongst those staying on were Rao's own great-grandparents.

Because of this background, and the extensive research she has done into the Indian population in Fiji, it should come as no surprise that this historical mystery is set in 1914 in Fiji, with a central protagonist of Sikh background, who comes to Fiji via Hong Kong (again an historical reference to the transfer of a team of 10 officers to build up the Fijian police force by the governor of Hong Kong, previously the governor of Fiji). It should also come as no surprise that the subject matter is the disappearance of a young Indian woman from a sugercane plantation. The only reason the case is getting any attention at all is because of the insistence of a local priest that the woman would never have just upped and ran away with the plantation supervisor, she must have been kidnapped. Which leads to media attention and some very grumpy acknowledgement that something needs to be seen to be done by white management of the police force. Enter, Sergeant Akal Singh. Recently arrived in Fiji after a scandal in Hong Kong, he's struggling to adapt to his new environment, new bosses who regard him with contempt (partially because of the eventually revealed scandal), and the whole indentured worker scheme.

To be honest, I doubt much of the outcome of the investigation by Singh, and the potential suspects and the eventual truth / guilty party(ies) are going to come as a big surprise to frequent readers of crime fiction. There's unpleasant people after all, and then there's huge arrows over a few people's heads labelled "not just a horrible person". Which in A DISAPPEARANCE IN FIJI isn't the downside that you'd expect - this is a novel about the process, serving more as a whydunnit and "how the hell could people condone it" than a whodunnit.

The story does move along at a good pace, and the writing is descriptive, with a real sense of place, time and weather to go along with Singh's discomfort and struggles. His backstory is well delivered, with again, lots of clues along the way that will leave the reader in no doubt of his motivations and failures when it comes to the scandal in his past. There are also some really well fleshed out supporting characters - from the doctor that guides him through the plantation reality, to a co-worker who has to balances traditional / familial expectations with the desire to be a fully fledged police officer. 

The media release that came with the novel includes the observation:

The exploitation of migrant workers continues today. ... I hope my novel provides a human face to such stories.

It seems there is a second novel in the series being worked on, so it will be particularly interesting to see the human faces that are revealed in it.