Valmiki's Daughter

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In Valmiki’s Daughter, critically acclaimed and best-selling novelist Shani Mootoo returns to the style — and some of the themes — she first explored in her breakout book, Cereus Blooms at Night. Mootoo introduces readers to the Krishnus, a well-to-do Trinidadian family firmly ensconced in the strict social hierarchy of the island. In this story of family secrets, patriarch Valmiki conceals a painful fact about his sexual identity while his youngest, the lively and intelligent Viveka, struggles to come to terms with a painful secret connected to her sexual identity. As Valmiki’s and Viveka’s secrets threaten to shake the foundations of the family, this beautifully written and hypnotically paced novel explores the complex interaction of race, gender, class, and sexuality in a closed society.From BooklistIn Mootoo’s latest novel, it is a father’s secrets (support of a male lover, multiple heterosexual liaisons) that drive an Asian Indian–Trinidadian family’s internal and social lives. Viveka, the older child, seeks to discover her place in the formal, restrictive traditions of the wealthy Indian community, while her mother schemes to keep Valmiki’s pursuits a secret by manipulating those same customs, which she understands so very well. The story’s slow start (part 1 begins with 22 pages of description by an unnamed narrator) demands a committed reader. Once readers become involved in the story, though, the complex plot and truly exquisite character development sustain interest. Mootoo’s meticulous writing includes a complicated, intriguing structure (prologue, four parts describing a period of six-plus months, and epilogue) into which she incorporates a coming-of-age story and convincing portraits of two troubled marriages. The climax is unexpected but realistic, and the resolution surprises but upon consideration seems inevitable. This involving novel will appeal to fans of Mootoo’s previous books, lovers of Caribbean fiction, and readers interested in complex family stories. --Ellen Loughran