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. 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 .”

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. 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.Wow. This book almost broke me. It’s a very powerful story and a very powerful way of writing. Set between India and Sydney, location and culture are very much part of this novel. The title looks at those girls from India who are born into a certain life and culture from which there seems little to no chance of escape. Fans of historical and contemporary fiction novels about India such as Alka Joshi’s THE HENNA ARTIST from the Jaipur Trilogy and Thrity Umrigar’s THE SPACE BETWEEN US, as well as Kristin Hannah’s books exploring sisterhood and mother-daughter relationships, will enjoy Variyar’s poignant debut. This extraordinary work of fiction tells a story that deserves to be read and discussed for years to come. Sydney, 2019. Nila has a secret, one she's been keeping from her parents for far too long. Before she can say anything, her grandfather in India falls ill and she agrees to join her parents on a trip to Madurai - the first in over ten years. Growing up in Australia, Nila knows very little about where she or her family came from, or who they left behind. What she's about to learn will change her forever... 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.

A haunting, powerful novel [about] a trauma that endures and spawns secrets that spread through the generations. . . . The Daughters of Madurai is also about the cleansing effects of modernity and love and hope.”—Thrity Umrigar, bestselling author of The Space Between Us The Daughters of Madurai is a captivating and riveting debut from an unforgettable new voice.”—Louise O’Neill, author of Asking for It 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.Debutant novelist Rajasree Variyar writes the story of a mother — belonging to a poor Kallar family, the landless community infamous for female infanticide — who is constantly reminded that she is worthless if she bears daughters. All in all, I can just sum up by saying that this was a disappointing experience to me. While the topics were relevant, the approach was bland. It was a simple story needlessly convoluted. As it is a debut novel, I am truly sorry this was a dud for me, and I wish the author the very best for her future works. Heartbreaking, emotional and thought-provoking... I will think about this story for a long time' ALIYA ALI-AFZAL This might work better with those who know just a little about India. So yeah, the target market can still try this out.

Having a daughter is a curse. It’s the same as watering your neighbor’s plants and never your own.” - Janani I read another book set in a Malayali household too, about the preference to a male child across generations. Still, in this one, I was confused with the plethora of characters and relations among them. This is embarrassing for me to say because I was born and raised in South India. But I didn't easily get through the Malayali relations and references.Janani is very often told by her mother in law that she is useless, because she keeps giving birth to daughters. They allow her to keep one, Lavanika. The others are killed. When other families in the same area give up their female babies to orphanages, they are looked down on, as this is more shameful than killing them.

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 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. Usilampatti of the 90s and Sydney of 2019 are two parallel stories that are connected and finally merge at the end revealing many truths while keeping the suspense alive. In Usilampatti, a young mother, Janani, is faced with desperate choices and will do anything to save her unborn daughter; Nila in Sydney keeps a secret from her parents till she embarks on a life-changing journey to Madurai and discovers more details about her family and how she was saved. Absolutely beautiful. Brilliantly constructed characters that do the critical topic the book focuses on justice'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 can’t afford. They let her keep her first baby girl but the rest are taken away as soon as they are born. The fate of her children has never been in her hands. But Janani can’t forget the daughters who weren’t allowed to live. 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. I loved Janani and her portrayal was very realistic. Reading the book on mothers day was a nice coincidence as this is an ode to the strength and determination of a mother to protect her daughter. Nila's story however was dragged out a lot and there was no mystery about her secret as it was very obvious! Reading The Daughters of Madurai was like no other experience I’ve ever had before. It was deeply personal; intimate in a way that venturing too far only results in the unravelling of certain wounds concealed deep within. Rajasree Variyar creates a striking contrast between the two timelines scattered across the novel—present and the past. This isn’t a tale for the faint-hearted but a tale of the deeply woven misogyny in the minds of the people in India, an issue that was more than just an issue decades ago.