Editorial Content for Kaikeyi
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Reviewer (text)
Vaishnavi Patel’s KAIKEYI is the latest in a new wave of retellings of the stories of maligned women in mythology.
In the vein of Jennifer Saint’s ARIADNE, Madeline Miller’s CIRCE, and Genevieve Gornichec’s THE WITCH’S HEART, this book delivers a stellar reinvention of Queen Kaikeyi, the wicked stepmother of Rama in the Indian epic the Ramayana.
"Patel creates an engaging backstory for her villainess turned heroine."
Patel creates an engaging backstory for her villainess turned heroine. Raised by a distant father after her mother is exiled, Kaikeyi does her best to make herself, as a woman without much of a voice, heard in her kingdom. In doing so, she enters the Binding Plane, a magical parallel realm where she can influence others’ emotions and actions. She carves out a role for herself in a man’s world and works hard to get as much influence as she can when she is married off against her will, which might come back to haunt her.
Rather than plotting her stepson’s demise, Kaikeyi adores him and is just trying to do the best for Ayodhya --- and Rama isn’t that. By painting a much-revered demigod as a flawed individual, Patel creates a world of shadows where previously the characters were much more engaged in a light vs. dark dichotomy.
Sometimes Kaikeyi’s protofeminism seems overly preachy and a bit anachronistic. But making her an actor in a world where she was expected to be passive is a brilliant stroke by Patel, who is a great new voice.
Teaser
The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, Kaikeyi is raised on tales of the gods. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, and listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat and most favored queen. But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family.
Promo
The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, Kaikeyi is raised on tales of the gods. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, and listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear. Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat and most favored queen. But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family.
About the Book
“With a graceful, measured elegance” (New York Times), this lyrical novel reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the ancient epic the Ramayana, giving voice to an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.
“I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions --- much good it did me.”
So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on tales of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil, and ensure the land of Bharat prospers and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.
Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.
But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak --- and what legacy she intends to leave behind.
Audiobook available, read by Soneela Nankani
