A review by dhiyanah
The Queen of Jasmine Country by Sharanya Manivannan

5.0

The poetry of Sharanya's writing is lush, verdant, and fragrant. Always, a journey of the senses that starts with the body diving deep into the anatomies of desire. The Queen of Jasmine Country travels back in time and expands the present moment at the same time. We follow the life of a girl who grows into legend, the devotional poet Andal. And on the way we're treated to a tender yet unapologetic look at the longings held within the heart of Kodhai, a woman who listened to her soul when it tells her not to settle for a love that's less than what she deserves. We see how this catalyzes her onto the path of a poet - the act of writing becoming a channel for Kodhai to express the sensuality she's forced to suppress - as well as the path of the mystic - where longing, ecstasy, and obliteration dance as one. Most importantly, through Sharanya's writing, we see her. We, brown women who have walked through the fires of girlhood, we see her in us and we see Kodhai herself. The lonely young woman whose love transcends the world as we know it. The Queen of Jasmine Country is an homage to Andal, and to the bodies and poetry of women who rage and hope beyond limits or expectations.