The Daughters of Madurai

A Novel

By: Rajasree Variyar

Narrated by: Vaishnavi Suryaprakash

The Daughters of Madurai is both a heartrending family story and a page-turning mystery about the secrets we must keep to protect those we love.

Madurai, 1992. A young mother in a poor family, Janani is told she is useless if she can’t produce a son—or worse, if she bears daughters. They let her keep her first baby girl, but the rest are taken away as soon as they are born and murdered. But Janani can’t forget the daughters she was never allowed to love.
Sydney, 2019. Nila has a secret; one she’s been keeping from her parents for too long. Before she can say anything, her grandfather in India falls ill and she agrees to join her parents on a trip to Madurai. Nila knows very little about where her family came from or who they left behind. What she’s about to learn will change her forever. While The Daughters of Madurai explores the harrowing issue of female infanticide, it’s also a universal story about the bond between mothers and daughters, the strength of women, and the power of love in overcoming all obstacles.

Perseverance of love

I enjoyed listening to the story. Although I figured out the ending pretty early on about Nila, I was intrigued to learn the details of jemamine’s story. The history of infanticide was so sad and disturbing, but the survival and perseverance of a mother’s love and the love and help she received from her friends was life changing. Jemamine was courageous and fiercely protective of her child, and Sanjay was courageous to buck the caste system, although he had support from some of his family. Th struggle for the Freedom to live and love as each person wanted was a strong theme throughout.