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It is a family saga replete with suspense, drama, love, trauma, sorrow, courage and success. The secrets women keep and must keep to protect the ones they love makes for a complex plot that also bursts with the colours, sounds and scents of India spanning three decades. 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 . . . My thanks to Union Square & Co. and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Daughters of Madurai”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. When there are two timelines and one of them is in first person, we automatically expect to know more about that character’s feelings. In this book however, we know more about Janani than Nila. Nila’s arc is very underwhelming, and her emotional trajectory seems more surface level. The contemporary timeline is too simplistic and brushes aside any scene where there was a scope for deeper introspection of the characters. This will be a doozy of a point, so please bear with me. We Indians have distinct relationship words for almost every relation. Unlike English that has a simple grandmother, grandfather, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt, younger sister, and so on, most Indian languages have a specific word for each relationship. So a dad's sister and a mom's sister and an uncle's wife--all "aunts" in English--will be called by different words as per the specific relation. The issue is further complicated by the fact that India has a multitude of languages. So an elder brother will be called ‘Chetta’ in Malayalam, ‘Anna’ in Tamil, ‘Dada’ in Marathi and so on. Imagine throwing this complicated network of relations on unsuspecting Westerners! Forget Westerners, even I felt lost at times amid all the Acchachas and Veliammas and Ammayis and Kochachans in this novel. Having words from two languages—Tamil and Malayalam—added to the difficulty. I wonder how the intended readership in the US will cope with these.
While being a mesmerizing and excellent debut novel, there are a few hiccups though negligible and has no direct impact on the message conveyed but taint the story. Of those the worst such example is Sanjay’s maternal aunt who happens to be a two-years older twin sister of his mother! “But what was it like for Priya, watching her twin sister dwindle before her while her brother-in-law spent his days treating other people? Vs Seeing them like this, the two of them together, was like looking at his mother reflected in a horribly warped mirror. Priya was vibrant, alive, although she was two years older .” Nila’s desire for individuation battles it out with her need to belong, told in a manner that’s relatable and compelling. Deeper still is the story of the love we have for the women who gave us life and for the children we give life to. The Daughters of Madurai is both a heartrending family story and a thrilling mystery about the secrets we must keep to protect those we love. Heartbreaking, emotional and thought-provoking… I will think about this story for a long time’ ALIYA ALI- AFZAL I enjoyed the family dynamics in the book. It was interesting to read Nila as the first person rather than Janani. The flip between the two timelines worked well.
That being said, this still could have been a good—if not traditionally enjoyable—book. Female infanticide is a horrific thing that by its very nature dregs up huge emotions. It should have worked, but a lot of it simply didn’t work for me. A temple city in lush southern India, Madurai is bustling with pilgrims and steeped in history and tradition. Yet not all traditions should be upheld… Years later, in 2019,Nila, who has grown up in Australia, comes to India with her parents to see her dying grandfather one last time. She has a secret to reveal to them as well. She also hopes to know more about where her mother came from, her family and her own history but she ends up getting more than she bargained for.
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. 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. The book is an emotional roller coaster ride, and it is not for the faint hearted. Therefore, reader discretion is advisable. Thought eh story is mainly about some women from Madurai -Kadambavanam, it appeals to all daughters of the world. While Janani is the protagonist of the story, for me Sanjay is indeed the silent hero.
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JANANI KNEW, THE MINUTE THE MIDWIFE PLACED her naked, squalling, soft-as-silk daughter in her arms, that she couldn’t lose this one. An image came to her mind, burying a bundle gone cold and still in the dirt by the young coconut palm. Her hands drew the hated little body closer. Tiny limbs moved in fitful pumps as Janani looked down into a face as round and purple as a mangosteen. The baby’s mouth shifted over the swollen skin of her breast, and her plaintive wail died as she found the nipple and began to feed. Her minute fingers rested against the skin over Janani’s heart.” The representation of the Indian locations in the contemporary 2019 timeline felt like wishful thinking than realistic. I don’t know if this was to cater to the American market, but bowling isn’t a popular pastime activity in India at all. So to see characters choose bowling as their option one for relaxing made me laugh. And please, what in the world is ‘Thank Bhagavan!’ Phrases aren’t to be translated verbatim across languages. There are many cultural inaccuracies as well. I wish authors didn’t bend facts so much just to cater to the target market.
Without going into spoilers: Lavanika is five and had no living siblings. Nila is two years older than Rohit. The timelines have a 27 years gap. This data won't make sense to you now, but if you read the book, you'll realise that this simple maths will reveal much in advance, a supposedly surprising twist. I am one who likes characters’ ages being mentioned, but in this case, they were a spoiler to what should have been an ‘Oh my!’ moment. Perfect for fans of Christy Lefteri and Delia Owens, The Daughters of Madurai is a moving and powerful debut from an unforgettable new voice. 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. It is such a terrible thing,” she said instead. “Religion should be a great unifier. Are we not all one before Bhagavan? Whether you call him Bhagavan or Bhagavati, Krishna or Shiva, Allah or Jesus or Buddha. Such hard lives people live, Sanju, that they turn the beauty of God into evil.” Absolutely beautiful. Brilliantly constructed characters that do the critical topic the book focuses on justice'It is a poignant work set in 1992, a haunting reminder of a time when young mothers in Usilampatti were consumed by fear of losing their daughters in the womb or immediately after birth. In spite of all the advancements and the progress humanity has managed to achieve, keeping the girls safe and mothers happy is a dream yet to become a reality in most parts of this tiny earth. Many have failed to take proper action against sexual exploitation and oppression of women and to ensure their right for education, freedom, and safety. This book is a welcome step in the right direction to see that dream come true. For a better tomorrow for the women on this earth read this book. As a father of two loving daughters, I myself hope, pray, and demand this change. Despite the complex subject and themes, this is a straightforward and easy read in many respects. It’s a powerful one and I think it’s simplicity is largely reponsible for making this stand out. Madurai, 1992. A young mother in a poor family, Janani is told she is useless if she can't produce a son - or worse, bears daughters. They let her keep her first baby girl, but the rest are taken away as soon as they are born - murdered before they have a chance to live. The fate of her children has never been in her hands. But Janani can't forget the daughters she was never allowed to love.
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