Reviews with content warning for Infertility - Kaikeyi

I don't know much about the Ramayana or hinduism in general, but I know this is kind of a retelling of it and I could see some points where the story may have been given a twist. I really enjoy reading stories that give us different perspectives of famous tales, so this was up my alley. I liked this book a lot and it made me want to know more about the hindu gods and hinduism in general.

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This epic structure is very reminiscent of the Indian epics it’s based from. It’s super long and slow paced, but excellent and intriguing the whole time. I liked Kaikeyi as a character and loved seeing how she learned about her power to see and manipulate her bonds with others. That cataclysmic ending was rough but so well handled and very well foretold. Loved having some ace rep too.

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micaelamariem's review

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A while ago I received Kaiyeki by Vaishnavi Patel in a book box, and I finally got around to reading it!

Vaishnavi Patel is a Chicago-based law student who enjoys writing about the intersectionality of feminism and Indian mythology. Her novel debut, Kaikeyi, explores the villain of the Ramayana myth. In the original myth, Kaikeyi is known as a jealous queen who exiles Rama so that her son may sit the throne. However, Kaikeyi is an epic that explores her coming-of-age, her faith, her purpose, and her reasons behind the exile.

I found this book to be very interesting. I know little of Hindu mythology and had never heard of the Ramayana before. Naturally, as I read, I did some googling to see what had happened in the original. What I did find were other reviews of this book saying how far from the original it swerved and how in some aspects, the portrayal of Rama can be damaging to the portrayal of the Hindu faith. So, with this in mind, I'm going to review this more like an original story instead of a retelling.

I loved the feminist themes in this book and how it showed that progression is slow. Kaikeyi at one point felt like she had made no changes for women, but throughout her life she aided smaller, subtle ones that helped shape a better society. And as a feminist and a woman, I love books with these themes.

I also thought the portrayal of Kaikeyi's asexuality was done well--only shown in a few subtle sentences and not something that defined her as much as her love for other people.

I loved seeing the work of the Binding Plane and found it very interesting, especially in my Google searches to find that such a concept does exist in the Hindu religion.

I did find some parts slow-going, though perhaps this is because it is an epic and spanned over a lifetime. I also didn't like how Ravana was introduced a few times, and then never really seen again until he went full-asura. I wish there was more of him or he was there not at all. I'm not sure it added much to the narrative anyway.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, with the caveat that I know this is fiction and does not define Hindu beliefs, as I know that was an issue brought up by many. As an original work, though, I would rate it four stars, and I'd love to explore Indian mythology further.

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emfass's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I love mythology retellings. This one takes a minor character from the Ramayana and expands upon her story, including one of the coolest forms of magic I've read.

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onmalsshelf's review

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DNF @ 44%

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Note: Prior to reading this, I had close to zero knowledge of the story of Ramayana (also apologies if I did not reference that correctly).

Before finally DNFing this at 44%, I had gone searching in low rating reviews to see if anyone else felt that the writing was both stiff and clunky here. Which I did find several other reviewers agreeing on that. What I also found, was those who are practicing Hindu or Indian bringing detailed issues to light regarding this retelling of the story of Ramayana.

While the writing here is what made me want to put this down, I also could not ignore what own voice readers were bringing up. Please take a look at those reviews.

The writing and tone just did not work for me here as well as the pacing. It moved so slow and somehow moved even slower after Kaikeyi moved to her husband's kingdom. Plus, while I realize that this retelling is from the perspective of Kaikeyi, I would have liked to see development and backstory of the other side characters here for more dimension.

In the end, this felt like a chore to try continue on with, even with the audiobook which I did end up picking up from the library. Glad to mark off a book of the month pick as well.

TL;DR: Don't recommend. This felt like a slog to get through and I'm unsure why it's nominated for Book of the Month's book of the year for 2022. I recommend finding reviews of own voice reviewers.

If anyone could point me towards a better retelling, I would love to take a look at that.

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leahrosiee's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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just_one_more_paige's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love a good retelling, so I'm here for the overall boom in feminist classic mythology retellings. The Witch's Heart and The Silence of the Girls are both great, and of course Circe is an all-time favorite of mine. So I was super excited to delve into this feminist retelling of a non-Western epic, the Ramayana.

The titular protagonist, Kaikeyi, is, in essence, Rama's (step)mother. In the original epic, the story focuses on Rama's exile to the forest at Kaikeyi's urging, and his battle with Ravana after he kidnaps Rama's wife, Sita, and his eventual crowning as king. Patel takes this original story as the scaffold, but turns the focus to Kaikeyi, building her characterization and the unfolding of events that explain why she urged Rama's exile. We follow Kaikeyi through her youth, as she realizes that, as a woman, she has nowhere near the power and position of the men in her world, and that despite all her prayers to the gods (as urged by society and tradition), they seem to have forsaken her. And yet, Kaikeyi makes a life with what she can, forging forward with a bit of magic, a bit of manipulation, a bit of secret training with her twin brother, and a whole lot of effort to create a better world for herself and the women of her nation. When the will/plan of the gods for the human world clashes with her own, threatening her family, her status, her relationships, her life's work, she must make an impossible choice between averting war (saving her homeland and her new land) or preserving the public legacy of her years of diplomacy and advocacy (and her familial ties).

Well, I loved this retelling. Kaikeyi became such a fleshed out and fully developed character in Patel's hands. I loved reading about her youth, both the difficult parts of finding her own ways without a mother or the gods to guide and help her, and the sweet and fun parts, like her relationships with her brothers, especially her twin. This is one of the only books I have read that goes into the art of charioteering (the Nevernight trilogy is the only other one I can think of), and I was fascinated reading about it. Plus, I am a sucker for a lady in battle, historically (I was weirdly obsessed with Joan of Arc as a kid, and loved Tamora Pierce's Alanna series), so the entire "Kaikeyi winning over Dasharath and Ayodhya through her horse/weapons prowess" really hit the spot for me. As Kaikeyi got older, I really enjoyed reading about her mind-opening about how she could help the women of her nation. There was some great insight into how being raised in one way (within a powerful family/court life) can limit one in the ways a person thinks about potential for change or how to make it happen, but with a little looking outside oneself, there are many creative and roundabout ways to affect change. As for her role as a mother, it was well-written, but not as much the highlight for me personally. I was much more into the ways she found to influence and act as a diplomat and use her small magic to create connections. And finally, I was so here for the ace spectrum coding on Kaikeyi’s character; it was smooth and natural and just....felt so right.

The writing itself was perfect for the genre, that sort of the folklore-y narrative voice that feels like classic fairy-tale story-telling. It's narrated by Kaikeyi herself, sort of looking back on everything after it all played out, so there is some fairly heavy-handed foreshadowing, with (short) reflections on what decisions could have been different or moments might have been altered to change the way things happened (just as a heads up, in case you, like myself, are not the biggest fan of that stylistic device). There were a couple other common plot devices that were recognizable, but well used, like the dangers of open-ended promises/boons as repayment/gift/in recognition. Also, and you can see it coming from a mile away but can't look away from it, the inevitable finale due to Kaikeyi keeping secrets (because she is a woman and grew up with little power/support/trust) leading to making decisions for the best possible outcome...but the lack of confiding in others about her knowledge plays a major part in her downfall of status/trust with those closest to her (because they didn’t understand her reasoning for having to make the decisions in the first place and felt taken advantage of and strong armed). That was a long description, but I was trying to convey the vibe while staying vague. The point is, it's a pattern I've definitely read before, but the confluence of situations/events built to Kaikeyi's tragedy in a wonderful way. Finally, I want to mention that the magic/gods aspects were in great balance to the rest of the novel (plot and character development - which were well-balanced and paced in their own right - and feminist themes); present, but never overpowering.

This was a cinematic, adventurous and spectacular retelling. The female gaze and centering was spot on and, as it always is, so refreshing. I always go into these retellings hoping for a happier story, even though I know that the women in these classics are tragic characters, the ones that suffered. So though these retellings are their perspectives, they are not happier for it, just given their own voice to tell it. Regardless, the forceful (though subtle within the plot itself, as necessary) feminism of historical, "powerful" women, was reminscient of Signe Pike's Langoureth (The Lost Queen and The Forgotten Kingdom) in all the best ways (I personally love that vibe/style). All in all, I just really enjoyed this reading experience and definitely recommend this book.

“I could not stop thinking about Ahalya, doomed to remain a stone statue in a forest, slowly eroding while her husband continued to wander the world. If a woman crafted by the gods themselves could be consigned to this fate, what hope was there for a woman born of a woman?”

“I had long thought of Ahalya as the foremost example of how a man might devastate a woman, but as I saw more of the world, I was realizing there were many ways to ruin a person's life. Most women were not cursed by their husbands, but they suffered all the same.”

“In helping another woman, I had in fact helped myself.” (love love love)

“I did not wish to bring a daughter into this world of men, into a world that would silence her thoughts before she could even speak them. I wondered how many women had felt this same fear, deep in their bones. [...] I had to build a world where [...] her opinion could be valued…”

“If the gods had already ordained my evil deeds, then I had nothing to lose by defying them now. So, I would defy them.”

“It is not weak to avoid war [...] It is the strongest thing you could do, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.”

“'Then why do I feel wicked?' / 'Because those who are good question themselves. Because those who are good always wonder if there was a better way, a way that could have helped more and hurt less. That feeling is why you are good.'”

“Before this story was Rama’s, it was mine.”

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hanarama's review

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

CWs: sexism, misogyny, death, violence, abandonment, infertility, abuse

*3.5*

Kaikeyi is Vaishnavi Patel’s ambitious debut novel, retelling the first part of the Ramayana from the perspective of one of its most complicated characters. The only daughter amongst seven brothers, Kaikeyi is often ignored, both by her father and by the gods themselves. What power she has, she fought tooth and nail for, and in doing so becomes a formidable warrior, advisor, diplomat, and queen.

The power and influence that she has spent a lifetime carefully cultivating is thrown off kilter as her step-son Rama begins to ascend into his own power.

I loved the first half of this book, though it moved slowly. The meandering pace gives the reader space to get to know Kaikeyi and to understand her motivations. Her flaws and virtues are presented side by side throughout her rise to power, making her feel very real.

Though most of the other characters are not given the same detail as Kaikeyi, their relationships to her feel clear. While reading, I felt connections to them through Kaikeyi. Particularly, I loved her interactions with Dasharatha. I loved how asexuality was represented in their relationship. Though she didn’t love him as a romantic partner, her love for him as a friend felt so real.

The Binding Plane was beautifully handled. Its introduction makes for an interesting dynamic between Kaikeyi and the court intrigues of Kekeya and Ayodhya. The power felt very defined, but also strong, making Kaikeyi’s use of the Binding Plane feel very impactful.

The second half lost me a little bit. While compelling and fun to read, I felt that Patel framed too much of it in black and white. This was jarring, considering the care given in the first half to portray things in shades of gray. Kaikeyi is presented initially as an ambitious, sometimes callous, sometimes caring woman, but as Rama becomes more prominent, Patel presents her as wholly in the right and Rama as wholly in the wrong. I feel like there was a way for Patel to have shown them both as complicated, whole people.

It felt too much like Patel was trying to flip the entire narrative in reverse, rather than to give more space to the female characters to be rich and interesting people. Because despite Kaikeyi’s efforts in the story to raise the station of women in Kosala, she’s really the only female character to get thorough characterization. Others like Sita and Sumitra feel very flat. Framing the major conflict between Kaikeyi and Rama as a disagreement of women’s place in society rings kind of hollow given how they seem to only matter as a concept and not so much as characters.

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