... [a] bold reimagining ... For better or worse, the events of Ramayana unfold no differently with the reinvention of Kaikeyi’s character, but Patel’s changes certainly make the story much more engaging. Even readers unfamiliar with the ancient Indian epic will find a lot to love in Patel’s spellbinding details of mythological characters and ancient times.
... a powerful, feminist retelling of the epic from the vilified queen’s point of view. A Chicago native and student at Yale Law School, Patel brings a no-nonsense approach to Kaikeyi’s story: Gods and magic play a subsidiary role to gender politics and a refreshingly warm depiction of relationships among the multiple wives and children in a sprawling royal household ... Patel’s vast tale unfolds at a measured pace, its careful depiction of one woman’s struggle to bring justice to an unjust world brightened by thrilling battle scenes and encounters with gods who have no concern with humans or their fates ... Patel resets the balance of power, creating an unforgettable heroine who understands that it isn’t necessarily kings or gods who change history but a disgraced woman who can look upon a group of girls and see 'a child, freer than her mother had been.'
Readers of Kaikeyi will be pulled into this lyrical counternarrative of the reviled queen from the ancient epic Ramayana. Known as a jealous, villainous stepmother who banished Rama and put her own son on the throne, Patel tells a much more nuanced, compassionate tale of a brave woman caught between manipulative gods and a patriarchal society who nevertheless tries to improve the lot of women in her kingdom. Kaikeyi’s voice is stunningly spirited, and Patel’s mesmerizing prose is immersive and inventive. This will definitely appeal to fans of mythological retellings in the vein of Circe.
... epic, exhilarating ... Patel does for Kaikeyi what Madeline Miller did for Circe in her novel of the same name, transforming a minor character cast by male storytellers as an antagonist into a strong, sympathetic woman determined to build 'a place where we could stretch our wings and belong.' Woven from a mixture of legends, ancient literature and Patel's own vibrant creativity, this spellbinding story of destiny, divine battles and family ties is intricate and action-packed.
Patel writes with a graceful, measured elegance; reading the book feels like a stroll through high halls and fragrant gardens, the ancient world conjured in broad, sweeping gestures as Kaikeyi tells her own story in counterpoint to the epic. At the heart of it is the Binding Plane, an in-between world in which Kaikeyi can see relationships as physical ropes of light and color stretching between herself and others; the work of her life is, in part, learning to create, tend and strengthen those bonds, rather than using them to control and influence those around her. The degree to which she succeeds or fails is the central tension of the novel.
The novel is compelling and rich, drawing on the source material while furnishing its characters with new complexity and motivations. Fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe (2018) will fall hard for this story about a woman determined to do what’s right for her kingdom and its women, walking the fine line between rebellion and convention.
Patel’s mesmerizing debut shines a brilliant light on the vilified queen from the Ramayana ... Readers familiar with the source text will be wowed by Patel’s reimagining, while those new to the story will be won over by its powerful, multilayered heroine and epic scope. This easily earns its place on shelves alongside Madeline Miller’s Circe.
