3 of 4 copies available
Madurai, 1992. A young mother in a poor family, Janani is told she is useless if she can't produce a son—or worse, if she bears daughters. They let her keep her first baby girl, but the rest are taken away as soon as they are born, and murdered. But Janani can't forget the daughters she was never allowed to love . . .
Sydney, 2019. Nila has a secret; one she's been keeping from her parents for too long. Before she can say anything, her grandfather in India falls ill, so she agrees to join her parents on a trip to Madurai. Nila knows little about where her family came from or who they left behind. What she's about to learn will change her forever.
While The Daughters of Madurai explores the harrowing issue of female infanticide, it's also a universal story about the bond between mothers and daughters, the strength of women, the power of love in overcoming all obstacles—and the secrets we must keep to protect the ones we hold dear.
Fans of historical and contemporary fiction novels about India such asAlka Joshi's The Henna Artist from the Jaipur Trilogy and Thrity Umrigar's The Space Between Us, as well as Kristin Hannah's books exploring sisterhood and mother-daughter relationships will enjoy Variyar's poignant debut. This extraordinary work of fiction tells a story that deserves to be read and discussed for years to come.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
February 28, 2023 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781454948773
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781454948773
- File size: 887 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
December 19, 2022
Variyar explores the impact of infanticide on an Indian Australian family in her wrenching debut. In 2019 Sydney, Nila struggles with coming out to her parents as a lesbian. When she learns her paternal grandfather is terminally ill, she agrees to visit him with her parents in India. A parallel narrative set in 1990s Madurai follows Nila’s mother, Janani, as a young woman struggling with extreme poverty, an abusive mother-in-law, Vandhana; a drunken husband; and the loss of two baby girls to murder. Girls are useless, according to Vandhana, who arranges for the killing of Janani’s babies, and a woman who can’t produce a son, even more so. After Janani becomes pregnant again with another girl, she enlists the help of her friends Shubha and Sanjay (the latter of whom becomes Nila’s father when he and Janani eventually marry) and Sanjay’s aunt Priya to fight back against a tradition that would demand she murder her child. Though the love story between Sanjay and Janani is a bit drawn out, and there are some unnecessary late-breaking plot turns, the gripping account of the family’s struggle to save Nila will keep readers on the hook, as will the tension between Nila and Janani as Nila tries to find a way to share her identity. Despite its flaws, the complex mother-daughter story will move readers. -
January 1, 2023
DEBUT In Madurai, India, in 1992, Janani is trapped in an unhappy marriage. She prays for a baby boy. Her vicious mother-in-law had two of her daughters killed at birth--girls aren't as valuable as boys to the family, and Janani's husband won't oppose his mother and tradition. Not allowed to attend high school because of her gender, Janani works as a maid for a wealthy Brahmin family. The family's dutiful son Sanjay remembers her as the smart, spirited girl who played tag with him. He gradually develops romantic feelings for her. In Australia in 2019, Janani's twentysomething daughter Nila has a girlfriend and wonders how to break this news to her parents. Lavish descriptions of food ground the story in the Indian culture, religious rituals, and family traditions. The novel also delves into the many linguistic divisions in India and the conflict between Hindus and Muslims, but what stands out is the lack of choices for women like Janani. VERDICT Recommended for readers looking for an evocative, clear-eyed family saga set in India and for fans of Alka Joshi's The Henna Artist and Sue Monk Kidd's The Book of Longings.--Leah Shepherd
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-