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A review by booksbybindu
The Secret of Elephants by Vasundra Tailor
5.0
‘The Secret of Elephants’ is a beautiful and thought-provoking story which manages to take in the huge topics of family, love, betrayal, tragedy, poverty and class divisions to name a few. It was a carefully constructed tale that I devoured in two sittings and it managed to transport me back to India and it felt as if I could feel the heat shimmering off the page and taste and smell all the amazing food. The writer definitely has a way with words and I was utterly mesmerized by Nimrala and her families story.
Nimrala lives in Navsari, India with her small son Varun and her husband. She struggles to make ends meet and when her son falls ill and she has to ask her husband for money for medicine she begins to contemplate her life. Why her aunt lives in Suparna Mansions but yet her late father was cast out by the family for daring to marry into a lower caste? When she receives a letter from Zimbabwe from someone who claims they are related her life is thrown upside down.
This book shows how deep divides in families can run and how secrets can be hidden away but when the truth comes out it can be devastating for all involved. It also shows that despite how modern India is becoming we are only a few generations away from when the caste system was rigid, marriages were arranged and love matches were rare. The author manages to convey all this with sensitivity and empathy.
I love the ease at which the author seemed to find the characterised of this story as there wasn't one who wasn't fully formed and all were memorable. I particularly loved Nimrala, Varun and Suparna. I loved the historical sections of the book and would have loved these to be slightly bigger than they were but that's me the history nut talking and wanting to know more about these characters.
Family sagas are always going to be a yes for me as a reader but mix in the lure of India, brilliant writing and a plot that covers such deep and meaningful themes it means it is a winner!
Nimrala lives in Navsari, India with her small son Varun and her husband. She struggles to make ends meet and when her son falls ill and she has to ask her husband for money for medicine she begins to contemplate her life. Why her aunt lives in Suparna Mansions but yet her late father was cast out by the family for daring to marry into a lower caste? When she receives a letter from Zimbabwe from someone who claims they are related her life is thrown upside down.
This book shows how deep divides in families can run and how secrets can be hidden away but when the truth comes out it can be devastating for all involved. It also shows that despite how modern India is becoming we are only a few generations away from when the caste system was rigid, marriages were arranged and love matches were rare. The author manages to convey all this with sensitivity and empathy.
I love the ease at which the author seemed to find the characterised of this story as there wasn't one who wasn't fully formed and all were memorable. I particularly loved Nimrala, Varun and Suparna. I loved the historical sections of the book and would have loved these to be slightly bigger than they were but that's me the history nut talking and wanting to know more about these characters.
Family sagas are always going to be a yes for me as a reader but mix in the lure of India, brilliant writing and a plot that covers such deep and meaningful themes it means it is a winner!