Kite Strings is the story of Mehnaz, a Muslim girl from an orthodox South Indian family where despite the trappings of education and reluctant modernity, she realises that she is not allowed to make the important decisions of her life on her own. Easy to spot is her constant tussle with her mother over what Mehnaz’s priorities should be. But not so easy to understand is the constant yearning for direction in her life. As a novel of self discovery, Mehnaz encapsulates the lives of many such girls who are not even aware that they too can do something worthwhile with their lives.