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The Daughters of Madurai: Heartwrenching yet ultimately uplifting, this incredible debut will make you think

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You knew that Janani had made it out of India at the beginning of the book, you wanted to read about how she got there. 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. I can't speak to the truths here. Like I said above, this is not my culture. I also quite enjoyed Kaikeyi, which no other South Asian I know enjoyed. So take this to heart. But this will remain a very special story to me. Books that invoke feeling often are. In a Nutshell: A highly relevant topic that loses its impact due to the simplistic writing style and glossing over of key events. Good description of places, but shallow exploration of people. Let me preface this review by saying I'm not Indian, Indian Australian, or in any way related to the diaspora. Rosh is, and left a very informative review.

The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar publishes today, April 27th, with Orion Books and is described as a ‘heart-wrenching, thought-provoking book club debut’. Inspired by the horrific stories of female infanticide, Rajasree Variyar spent time at grass-roots level with a charity in Madurai. This charity was working to eliminate this barbaric act by educating and empowering the local community from a young age. After her experiences there, Rajasree Variyar took what she had witnessed first hand and created this emotive debut that highlights a mother’s heart-breaking fight for her unborn daughter.And it’s about the fragility of being human. About the push and pull between life and death. But also about resilience and courage. I really admire this author as she’s written a story which will inform and educate a lot of people but also encourage dicusssion of many issues within. The stories were threaded nicely but for a fuller picture I would have loved to have found out more about Janani’s story before she had her family. There are a few characters on the sidelines that I also wanted to know more about. Hope Shubha is ok!

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. 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.

Rajasree Variyar

Other aspects of Indian society regarding the caste system, arranged marriages, homophobia, and educating female children fold into the story. Characters grapple with honoring their parents, tradition, and obligations while attempting to claim their own independence and pursuit of happiness which are in direct conflict with the former. It reminded me of the bitterness of women caught in and even perpetuating an interminable cycle of patriarchy and misogyny. And how different and better a woman’s life can be with the support of other women. It made me think about the big ways and the little ways that sexism happens. And it made me feel very strongly that I will do everything to make sure to protect the women I know from it as best I can.

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