Valmiki's Daughter

An interesting dilemma in a strange world. This is a fascinating read with beautiful language. Shani Mootoo is definitely an author for whose books I will look from now on.

Great book and condition

One of THE BEST books.

Any discussion at all of Shani Mootoo I must precede with an acknowledgement that I love, love, LOVE, her writing. I think she's one of the most talented writers or artists period whose work I am familiar with--she happens to be one of those disgustingly talented people who is not only an imaginative and brilliant writer but also a gifted visual artist and filmmaker. So when I finally picked up her most recent novel Valmiki's Daughter (2008), after being too swamped for too long with school work to fit time in to read it, the anticipation was killing me. I pretty much devoured it in one day--it was the first thing I read when I decided not to continue my PhD, in fact. The novel, indeed, forcefully pulls the reader in immediately, somewhat disconcertingly addressing "you" directly in the first section and, using an imperative tense, telling you where you are, what you see, smell, hear, and touch--and where to go next. You are a visitor to San Fernando, Trinidad and Mootoo inundates you with vivid sensory details of the polyphonic, bustling city, the lush environment, and mouth-watering food: "a cacophony of sound, and a cacophony, yes, of smell." Once the setting has been so acutely marked on your senses, Mootoo moves into the narrative of her main characters: a father, Valmiki, and his daughter, Viveka. The novel throughout shifts between the perspectives of different characters, mainly Valmiki and Viveka, but also Devika, Valmiki's wife and Viveka's mother, and their family friend Nayan and his new wife Anick.... See the rest of my review on my website: [...]

I enjoyed this book immensely. It reached me on the intellectual, emotional and sensual levels. Mootoo is excellent at creating atmosphere. When you read one of her books you are taken by sight , sound and smell to the locale of her narrative. She develops her characters fully so the relationships among them feel real. Her insights are often visceral. Observations about custom and values expand one's knowledge about the island culture. I was absorbed by the story of a schoolgirl, a daughter , a sister, a friend who felt so different from those around her. Her father's struggle of identity is also her own. I look forward to reading her next book.