The Daughters of Madurai
Heartwrenching yet ultimately uplifting, this incredible debut will make you think
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4.8 • 20 Ratings
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
'Oh my goodness. If I could give this book 6 stars out of 5 I would' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'One of those books that will stay with me for years and decades to come...' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A joy to read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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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...
1992. As a low-caste cleaner for a wealthy family, Janani's duty has always been quiet obedience. Even at home, her mother-in-law's word is law. Janani has never dared to dream of a different life. But now, she has something she'll do anything to protect... even if it means losing everything she's ever known.
2019. Nila doesn't remember her life before they moved to Australia, and her parents never talk about their past. So when she joins her parents on a trip to their hometown, Madurai, she hopes she'll finally uncover the truth. Especially as Nila seeks acceptance for a secret of her own...
For both Janani and Nila, love isn't simple.
Sometimes love is an act of courage...
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COSMOPOLITAN AND GLAMOUR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
Apple's Best of the Month for May
'Haunting, moving, completely compelling - an incredible debut' JENNIFER SAINT
'A captivating and riveting debut from an unforgettable new voice' LOUISE O'NEILL
'Heartrending but ultimately hopeful, this richly evocative and spellbinding book will touch your soul' VERONICA HENRY
'A beautiful story, hauntingly written' JULIE COHEN
'Heartbreaking, emotional and thought-provoking... I will think about this story for a long time' ALIYA ALI-AFZAL
'Full of grace and tenderness' JYOTI PATEL
'A haunting, powerful novel' THRITY UMRIGAR
'Powerful and important' KAREN ANGELICO
'A truly powerful story that remains with you long after the final word has been read' GLAMOUR
'This raw and moving debut packs a punch' ADELE PARKS FOR PLATINUM
'Utterly devastating and quietly hopeful' WOMAN'S OWN
'Once read it is not easily forgotten' DAILY MAIL
'You won't be able to put this compelling novel down' SUNDAY EXPRESS
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Opening with one of the most devastating scenes in recent memory, The Daughters of Madurai grabs your attention and your emotions and doesn’t let go. The narrative follows Janani, a young wife and mother in early-’90s Tamil Nadu, and her daughter Nila some 25 years later in Sydney, and vividly demonstrates the myriad ways in which the effects of desperate poverty and brutal misogyny can wound—and scar—across generations. But Janani and Nila are individuals and not archetypes, and as Nila tries to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past, their story becomes also of the specific ways mothers and daughters can misunderstand, fight and love each other. And from Nila’s voyage of discovery her mother emerges a towering figure of extraordinary courage, a woman who has suffered what none ever should and has yet fought and survived.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
Customer Reviews
Great from start to finish.
Really enjoyed this, very heart warming.