The Storyteller's Secret: A Novel

While I am not sympathetic to the plight of the woman who cannot have children (there are so many other things one can do), I do recognize that for some, especially those from a culture where a woman is made to feel that childbearing is their only purpose in life, it can be a devastating reality. For those who find themselves in this reality this book should offer a balm. I found it to be a lovely love story full of hope and kindness and I learned a little bit about a country and a time in history of which I had little knowledge. If you are like me and find the trauma of multiple miscarriages tiresome, have patience, it will be worth it.

I did not really want to read this book it just seemed to be the lesser of evils when it came to this months prime picks. The beginning did not encourage me much as it was a little on the depressing side. When Jaya escapes to India to escape her pain of multiple miscarriages the story starts to get interesting - and I ended up staying up all night reading it. Jaya begins to hear a story about her grandmother, Amisha, and it helps her to understand her own mother and in the end she learns to take another perspective when looking at her own life. This was a fantastic read. I cried and I never cry. Your heart goes out to Amisha's situation and the way it works out. Aside from the grandmothers story you also see a heartbreaking look at the poor side of India and how some of their traditions have hurt them. The caste system still is there is the more rural places which is where this story takes place. The description of the orphanage Jaya goes to is heartrending and makes you want to go to India and change things. The story makes so many of the things we have heard of come to life -things we have never been acquainted with. The rest of the story of Amisha's life is something that you will have to read for yourself and I guarantee you will love her story.

EDITED at suggestion of a comments by James Crain and Kindle Reader Kit, below. Last month the Amazon First books, and the short stories, all seemed to resonate with me. This month, only two stories provided any glimmer of interest for me. Then, a review of one of the two dissuaded me from reading that one. So, I took a chance on "The Storyteller’s Secret,” even though it sounded a bit too common. Would I be inspired? Would I be letdown? Is this story merely a good read, or is it something more? Read on to learn what I found… POV: Starts out in first person, but then shifts to third person. THE WRITING: Frankly, the first three or four chapters were, well, sensitively written, but not particularly interesting for me. Essentially, they were written to show why our heroine travels to India. Parts were gripping, but other parts felt as if the author was trickling information instead of painting a picture. Yeah, it was a bit like my writing, so I shan’t be too critical. By Chapter 6, when we travel back in time to the 1930’s, the POV changes to third person and becomes much more engaging. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I did feel relieved to begin reading of Grandfather Deepak and Amisha. Suffice it to say that I lived in Egypt for a number of years and fell in love with an Egyptian lady and we married in 2002. To this day, I still tend to not fully fathom the society my wife was raised in. Even so, I am able to get a glimpse of the different views of Indian society and its strict adherence to their customs. If readers keep this in mind while reading “The Storyteller’s Secret,” it may help them navigate the nuances hinted at. It is important to note that journalists, (of small newspapers and large) are always reminded to keep their opinions out of the stories they write, because it is important for readers to see what is happening so they can arrive at their own conclusions. I found this easy, usually, as did the protagonist in this tale of woe, which became an epiphany for her upon learning the sordid details of her grandmother. Saying such is not a spoiler, as without some sort of story arc, there would be no reason to relay such a tale of fiction that almost could be true. BLUSH FACTOR: As for language and sex, no worries here. ADVENTURE: To explore the fictional tale of a family history in a foreign land (India) is an adventure of sorts, but this is not an adventure on the scale of, say, Emerald Forest. This adventure is more of one from one society to another. Rather than refer to this tale as a story of adventure, it is more a quest for discovery. SOUL: Yes, this has soul. When you can read the plight of someone raised in a society with vastly different customs, and the strict adherence by most to those customs, and still feel empathy for them, that is a story with soul. To some extent, I suppose, my view of Indians of Asian descent was enhanced because of this story. Not to an earthshaking extent, but I am moved. EXCERPT In this excerpt you will likely deduce that Amisha is a strong-willed Indian woman heavily influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Ghandhi, which some revered as revolutionary seeking more than mere independence from Britain, but independence from the shackles of custom. Amisha would pay the price for her convictions, but that is getting ahead of the story… ‘…Amisha remembered Chara’s order to find a servant she could trust. Because Ravi did not live in her village, he would not be part of the crowd whose loyalty would be to Chara first. She gnawed on her lip as her palms started to sweat and her heart fluttered. Even as the plan hatched, she feared she was inviting Chara’s wrath. “You would work anywhere?” “Who are you?” Frustration laced his words. He kept glancing around them. Amisha knew he was afraid of being beaten. She had seen it before when an untouchable spoke to a woman of a higher caste. “I am the daughter-in-law of the mill’s owner,” Amisha replied quickly. She said it without pride since her position in society mattered little to her. At the widening of his eyes, she added, “Work for me.” If she waited any longer, she feared talking herself out of it. “It is cruel for you to joke.” Ravi turned away, barely masking his disgust. “I am not laughing, and neither should you be.” The man’s desire to be more than what was allowed struck a chord deep within her, and Amisha couldn’t imagine a better comrade for herself. “Take the offer or don’t. Just decide quickly so I know to look elsewhere.” “I am an untouchable.” Ravi hit the dirt with his bare foot and glanced away in shame. “It is important for you to know.” “I am a woman.” Her reality always a looming shadow, she glanced at the sun. “We have now established our roles.” “You are the mill owner’s daughter,” Ravi argued. “My parents and siblings are also vagrants. Begging is our destiny.” Furious, he paused before muttering, “No matter how hard I try to change it.” “Daughter-in-law,” Amisha corrected. “Both of our circumstances dictate how we live.” When his gaze met hers, she refused to look away. “My mother-in-law treats me no better than a servant.” “Is it acceptable for me to be a servant in your home?” Ravi seemed to accept that he couldn’t win the war of semantics with her. Unwilling to admit the truth, Amisha deflected. “I should tell you the story of a handsome singer.” “I would prefer you didn’t,” Ravi returned. She ignored him. “This singer wanted…’ Badani, Sejal. The Storyteller's Secret: A Novel (pp. 60-61). Lake Union Publishing. Kindle Edition. BOTTOM LINE A story of this richness and contrast might make for an interesting 90 minutes entertainment on TV. If the producers and directors can show the story without straying too far from the writer’s depiction, it might be a big hit on HBO or Showtime. I doubt that it would fare well on Hallmark Channel. At any rate, although the writing is not one of those 'life-changing' books, it is a good read by a talented writer of Indian descent. I definitely will be reading more of her books. Four stars out of five. I am writing a book for aspiring reviewers and for product suppliers seeking reviews in an effort to help improve the process and to understand the value of Amazon’s Customer Review process. I hope to incorporate many of the received comments, with attribution to those making the suggestions, into my books. Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. With your help, I'll improve every day. One request: Be respectful and courteous in your comments and emails to me. I will do likewise with you. NOTE: I am unable to post replies to comments at my reviews. Not sure why. I will, though try to update reviews to incorporate suggestions or answers to questions. Further, feel free to use “Contact Us” at i-read-test-review dot com. I enjoy reading all comments, pro and con, so keep posting them as you wish. I even get a kick out of sarcastic comments from Onion Eaters! Thank you so much for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment.

Sejal Badani, Author of “The Storyteller’s Secret” has written a captivating, intriguing, emotional , riveting, and emotional story. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction with a touch of Romance. The timeline is in both the present and the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The story is told in both the United States, and India. The author vividly describes the colorful cast of characters and the landscapes with great detail. Jaya, a journalist is devastated after her third miscarriage, and feels that her marriage is falling apart. Jaya’s parents try to be there for her, but here is something that is missing in her relationship with her mother. Jaya feels that she is at loose ends and wants to find herself, and happiness again. While she is at her parent’s house, there is news that her mother’s father is dying, and the mother is requested to come to India. Instead Jaya uses this as an opportunity to heal and discover information about her family, that her mother has never talked about. Jaya’s mother has never wanted to go back to India, and doesn’t discuss what happened. Jaya is determined as a journalist that she will write about her trip to India. Ravi, her grandmother’s former servant meets Jaya, and starts to tell her grandmother’s story. Java was not aware of the deep secrets, courage, hurt, and dreams that her grandmother had. Jaya’s grandmother was a writer as well. Why hasn’t Jaya’s mother ever told her about her grandmother? Jaya learns not only many Indian customs, she becomes aware of the history of India during the British occupation. She sees evidence of both poverty and beauty. Jaya visits the orphanage, and sees the discrimination among the different classes. I enjoyed the descriptions of the customs, holidays, foods, and people in India. I appreciate that the author describes the Caste system, and provides the historical background that adds so much to India’s history. This is a story of dreams, love and finding oneself. I would highly recommend this for readers who enjoy Historical Fiction.

When I read a book like this I keep asking myself, "How does the author do it?" How does the author smoothly and elegantly weave so many complex and simple elements into a cohesive whole, maintain a sense of suspense and anticipation, that is mesmerizing and complete. For me this started a bit slow but it did not take long until I was hooked and I could not put it down. It is a subtle romance crossing two cultures, Europe and Asia, two powers, Britain and India, cultures within cultures, the caste system in India, and love that extends beyond two people impacting so many. Ultimately, I was sad but came to the realization that we are bound by cultural norms that can be flexible but cannot be ignored. The two main characters, the grandmother and the granddaughter, never met but they were bound together by the people around them, just as we are all bound by the stories and actions of our parents and grandparents. Although I suspected the directions of the stories within the story, there were a couple of surprises near the end. The search of the granddaughter to know her granddaughter is revealing, enlightening, and ultimately satisfying. How do authors do it?

I will begin my review at the end of the story. Usually, when I enjoy a book, I don't want the story to end. I was comfortable letting this story end. Not because I disliked it. But, because the author did such a terrific job of tying up all of the loose ends. This book was a very emotional experience. Almost exhausting. I just could not stop reading. This explains why, as much as I enjoyed reading this book, I was content with it ending. It was beautifully written. I felt as if I'd been transported to India. In my mind, I could vividly picture the characters, the settings, the time period. I hurt when the characters hurt and was jubilant when the characters were happy or celebrating joyous events. Would I read another novel by this author? I am afraid not. I am emotionally spent. I am way too empathetic. But, the author did her job; she drew me into the story. She also enlightened me as far as the history of India. Great read!

I loved this story that features many conflicts: marital, cultural, but most of all, a mother-daughter conflict. The story starts out in NYC, where a young woman, who has suffered several miscarriages, learns that her mother’s father in India has passed away. Prior to his passing, the father has invited the mother to return to India after banishing her many years ago. The mother refuses to go and her daughter cant understand why. The daughter decides to go, against her mother’s wishes, since she is despondent over the loss of her babies and her failing marriage. While at her grandmother’s home in rural India, she meets an old man, an “untouchable”, who was once a servant in her grandmother’s home. He begins to tell the young woman about the wonderful person her grandmother was, and the great tragedy of her life. Turns out the grandmother was a wonderful storyteller who taught herself English with the help of a young military man from the RAF, while England occupied India. There is a great depth of description of life in both the past and the present as the young woman wrestles with her own demons. This is a great story for both mothers and daughters of high school age to read together; the language is easy enough for young girls to understand what is going on, but this is why I gave it a four star rating instead of five stars, I would have preferred a slightly more elevated level of language. Otherwise, its a great novel.

This novel provides an in depth look at a culture I only knew from afar. Intertwined with life in India for native women in the past, it serves to emphasize the differences between the two cultures. Well written with imagery that enables the reader to “be in the moment.” Highly recommend.