Heartrending but ultimately hopeful, this richly evocative and spellbinding book will touch your soul’ VERONICA HENRY

The Kallar community, concentrated in Usilampatti taluk, accounts for nearly 80% of its 2.65 lakh population. It is said there is hardly a poor Kallar family where a female baby was not murdered during the 90s. People are aware of the cruel crime but do not admit it, and it continues sporadically. Enigma of love It is a family saga replete with suspense, drama, love, trauma, sorrow, courage and success. The secrets women keep and must keep to protect the ones they love makes for a complex plot that also bursts with the colours, sounds and scents of India spanning three decades. This is a subject that I personally haven't seen written about an awful lot, so I was extremely interested to see how it was covered. While not a true historical aspect, we still have the generations gap to contemporary day in how the book is presented. The ultimate feelings I came away from this book have meant I have thought of it a few times since finishing, and I will certainly enjoy this once it is released, and have no hesitation to gift it out to others.Nila’s desire for individuation battles it out with her need to belong, told in a manner that’s relatable and compelling. Deeper still is the story of the love we have for the women who gave us life and for the children we give life to.

It is a poignant work set in 1992, a haunting reminder of a time when young mothers in Usilampatti were consumed by fear of losing their daughters in the womb or immediately after birth.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. 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... 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… 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… The Daughters of Madurai is a mother-daughter love story. It also gives an alarming insight into female infanticide and misogyny, as well as the strength and fortitude necessary to be a woman and a mother.

It wasn't as heavy to read as some books of a similar genre I've read, and it didn't diminish anything for me. If anything, I think that while more depth at times can help a book like this, here I felt it would've minimised the overall messages and premise of the book. It would also be a great book to gift to someone who might usually find this sort of thing too depressing or too serious to read. It wasn't sugar-coated either. It had a balance that I think benefitted it more than detracted. 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…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. 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... Female Infanticide and all the obstacles and traditions that it brings including dowry, is the basis of this book.