By Megan Amato
Once in a while there comes a novel that astonishes you with its raw beauty and talent. And for me, on this day, it’s Vaishnavi Patel’s stunning epic debut, Kaikeyi. This exquisitely written feminist reimagining of the Ramayana from the so-called villain’s perspective was masterfully plotted and full of vivid details that immersed me within its pages and left me in utter awe that this is Patel’s first novel.
As the king’s only daughter, Kaikeyi lives in the shadow of her twin and seven other brothers—until her father banishes her mother from court and Kaikeyi must step up to fill her shoes. Desperate for her mother, Kaikeyi unsuccessfully begs the gods for their help before scouring her mother’s library for a lesser god and discovering something else: a meditation ritual that lets her manipulate the bonds that tie her to others. Using the bonds, she convinces her brother to train her as a warrior and teachers to let her study so that she doesn’t have to rely on the whims of men while her beloved maid Manthara teaches her to be a queen. When she’s married off as the third wife of another king, she learns that her penchant to use those bonds doesn’t always have the desired results. But Kaikeyi is not willing to give up the freedom she’s gained or the voice she’s earned and be regulated to the sidelines—nor is she willing to let the women around her do the same if she can help it.
While I’m not as familiar with the Ramayana as those who grew up with it—I did do some research prior to and after reading Kaikeyi—I was awed by the level of depth and character work Patel wrote in humanizing quite a villainized figure. Kaikeyi is portrayed as a jealous and scheming wife in the epic, and though these traits aren’t totally erased from the novel, they’re built upon and layered with nuance to include the cultural and historical context that comes with being a daughter, and later a mother, in a rigidly patriarchal society. She is not a paradigm of virtue by any means. Like any human, she is filled with shades of grey consisting of just as many strengths as flaws, and that is what I find so beautiful about her. She’s a character who will use whatever tools she’s given to fight for agency and self-actualization and will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves.
As someone who identifies somewhere on the asexual spectrum, it was also refreshing to have representation in such an extraordinary character. Her struggle to understand her feelings for her husband outside of the friendship they shared will no doubt be felt by many readers who have struggled with the same sentiments.
This was an absolutely stunning debut, rich in both descriptive details and character growth. I cried several times throughout, and I would recommend everyone wanting an epic, character-driven story full of female power and magic to put this on their to-be-read piles immediately.
Thank you to Hachette Book Group for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.