Vaishnavi Patel: Kaikeyi (Spotlight)
The instant New York Times bestseller and TikTok sensation
“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 tales 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 favoured queen, determined to carve a better world for herself and the women around her.
But as the evil from her childhood stories threatens the cosmic order, the path she has forged clashes with the destiny the gods have chosen for her family. And Kaikeyi must decide if resistance is worth the destruction it will wreak - and what legacy she intends to leave behind.
Praise for Kaikeyi:
“Fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe will fall hard for this story”—Booklist (starred review)
“Mythic retelling at its best”—R. F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War
“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”—S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass
Vaishnavi Patel discusses the legends that inspired her debut novel, Kaikeyi
Vaishnavi Patel is a law student focusing on constitutional law and civil rights. She likes to write at the intersection of Indian myth, feminism, and anti-colonialism. Vaishnavi grew up in and around Chicago and, in her spare time, enjoys activities that are almost stereotypically Midwestern: knitting, ice-skating, drinking hot chocolate, and making hotdish. Kaikeyi is her debut novel.
Kaikeyi: A Novel
by Vaishnavi Patel
Orbit
Buy Kaikeyi from Amazon (affiliate link)
“When I was growing up, my grandma used to tell my sister and I stories from the Ramayana,” Patel told A Book and Chai. “One time, my mom overheard my grandma telling us how Kaikeyi exiled Rama, and jumped in to point out that without Kaikeyi there would be no Ramayana, so her actions ended up being good. My grandma didn’t fully agree, and that disagreement—the fact that Kaikeyi ends up helping society but is considered to be a villain—stuck in my mind.
“As I grew older, I would occasionally look to see if anybody had written stories about Kaikeyi, but I never found anything about her. I started doing little pieces of research, learning more about her and other women in the Ramayana. One day I realized I could write her story. I was really invested in telling a version where her actions are not motivated by spur of the moment jealousy, but rather decisions based on her life experiences.”