An ancient mythological tale brought to life on an historical South Asian landscape, in the dialogue and intonation of modern American speech (especially as read by a young American on the audiobook), with the mystical flavour and pace typical to Asian mythology.

I wasn’t absorbed until twenty percent in—but then I couldn’t put it down. For most people, that’s too long of an introductory blurb, too long to get into the meat of the story, and yet I’d encourage anyone hovering at the beginning to press on—this novel unearths mythological gems buried beneath centuries of retelling the tale of Rami & Sita. This isn’t so much their story as the story of how we get to that story. And after years of hearing of Rami & Sita, it was good not to have them at the forefront but to hear of their mothers and fathers as young royalty.

Kaikeyi is a strong woman among men, bound to her patriarchal circumstances, and she delivers a heart-wrenching tale wrought partly by her own well-intended manipulations and entwined inextricably to the men she manoeuvres in her world like pieces on a chess board.

A weak start that blossoms into a complex and beautiful tale, with a show of delicate writing throughout, and a beautiful finish, despite the ugliness of circumstantial details.