A review by marcymurli
The Thousand Faces of Night by Githa Hariharan

5.0

This is absolutely one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read. I especially love the relationship between Devi and her grandmother--the stories from the Mahabharata she tells her, the way she responds to them, and how they shape her understanding of what it means to be female in her world. Equally wonderful is the relationship between Devi and her mother, Sita, with her father-in-law, Mayamma, the woman who works as a maid in Devi's husband's home. The way these relationships, and these women's lives, unfold is so deeply moving. It is gripping and hard to put down. It's also a powerful tale that reveals some of the limitations of women's lives in a society governed by patriarchy.