Kaikeyi

A Novel

By: Vaishnavi Patel

Narrated by: Soneela Nankani

“With a graceful, measured elegance” (The New York Times), this lyrical novel reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the ancient epic the Ramayana, giving voice to an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.

I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.

So begins Kaikeyi’s story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on legends of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise. Yet she watches as her father unceremoniously banishes her mother, listens as her own worth is reduced to how great a marriage alliance she can secure. And when she calls upon the gods for help, they never seem to hear.

Desperate for some measure of independence, she turns to the texts she once read with her mother and discovers a magic that is hers alone. With this power, Kaikeyi transforms herself from an overlooked princess into a warrior, diplomat, and most favored queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.

But as the evil from her childhood tales threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak—and what legacy she intends to leave behind.

PRAISE FOR KAIKEYI

"A powerful, feminist retelling of the epic...Patel resets the balance of power, creating an unforgettable heroine who understands that it isn’t necessarily kings or gods who change history." –The Washington Post

"Easily earns its place on shelves alongside Madeline Miller’s Circe." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Utterly captivating from start to finish." ―Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch’s Heart

"Brave, compassionate and powerful." ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne

"A lyrical and evocative retelling, full of power and grace." ―Ava Reid, author of The Wolf and the Woodsman

"Compulsively readable and infinitely compassionate." ―Roshani Chokshi, author of The Gilded Wolves

"A thought-provoking, nuanced new look at one of humanity’s most foundational stories." —Shannon Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK • "MYTHIC RETELLING AT ITS BEST." (R. F. Kuang, author of Babel)

©2022 Vaishnavi Patel (P)2022 Redhook

Critic reviews

"A powerful examination of a woman maligned by myth and men. Patel’s imagination takes a hammer to the image of a stonehearted villainess and reveals the woman within, whose choices sparked immortal legends. Compulsively readable and infinitely compassionate, this is the story I’ve been yearning for all my life." (Roshani Chokshi, New York Times best-selling author of the Aru Shah and Gilded Wolves series)

"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." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“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 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.” (Booklist, starred review)

Beautiful

Transported into a beautiful retelling of Ancient Stories with a unique perspective. Perfect narrator! This story had so many levels to it, it is just amazing!

Absolutely fantastically!

Love this version of the great story I grew up with. The feminine voice was refreshing. Did not want this story to end.

David and Absalom

I love the story, and the ability to enter a different culture and time. There were simply too many times when I could see the main character and her son, one of them anyway, mirroring the relationship of David and Absalom. A kingdom/queen-dom crumbles, because we don’t want to see people as they are. I know I know they often like to say love is blind. Perhaps it is, I I do wish for a better ending for main character. I look forward to more stories and perhaps a series the author might develop, or similar stories. Great debut novel!

so incredibly beautiful

my heart ached the whole time but in the best way. This book will stay with me, and I'm glad for it.

Perspective is Reality

I have heard this story as a child in the Caribbean but the change of perspective made me appreciate balance. This work is timely in our current public discourse where persons with privilege must consider and be sensitive to how their privilege impacts others. What was previously seen as 'normal' and 'natural' is challenged beautifully. It also underscores that if you are doing the right thing for a reward you will always struggle to do the right thing.

Love.

For anyone that struggles with the black and white nature of Valmiki’s Ramayan, this retelling is for you. Kaikeyi is reimagined beautifully here, and the story seems to deal with many complicated aspects of Dharma and fate without being too heavy handed about it. Kaikeyi comes off as strong, intelligent and capable, instead of the usual one dimensional portrayal of her as simply evil that is so popular. Great read!

Very good book, but…

This a very good book. I enjoyed the story; it had an almost Gaiman-esque development of a classic heel character of the Ramayana into a babyface.

What I did not enjoy was the narrator - she sound that she was on the verge of bawling her eyes out. Either that emotion or a gruff masculine voice when voicing a male character. There was no in-between.

Rama was portrayed as a misogynistic power-hungry male a$$h*l€ - a rude awakening for his followers; how can a near divine man be this way?

Vaishnavi Patel bring to light a flawed woman and her equally flawed human sons. Good job!!

So moving

I never take time to write a review but this book was so so beautiful. The story telling was simple yet so moving. The story itself was filled with so much joy, heartbreak, and wonder. I recommend this book 100 times over!

a new backstory for an ancient tale

I enjoyed the story and the author's invention of a backstory to explain many things in the classic take. I found the performance of Kaikeyi's voice to be too dramatic too often, almost melodrama. that became tiresome for a character so strong
overall very compelling audiobook though. I was always excited to learn what came next.

perspective changing

reminds you of how different perspectives can change the color of a story. audio book voice is robotic though