Kaikeyi: the Evil Step-Mother We All Wish We Could Be

In a tale of myths and gods and heroes, Kaikeyi is merely a woman trying to find power over her own life. The firstborn of a great king, it’s Kaikeyi’s twin brother, born second, who will one day be king, while she is worth nothing more than a strategic marriage. But Kaikeyi discovers she has the ability to see and manipulate the Binding Plane, which shows her relationships with people as physical connections. Using this new power and her stubbornness, she convinces her brother to teach her fight, influences the servants in the palace until they adore her, and negotiates for a stronger marriage position with the king who seeks her hand. Kaikeyi makes herself into a powerful woman in a society where women are powerless. But she does more than change her life. Kaikeyi works to forge the world she wants to live in, providing opportunity for all women, but when her destiny clashes with the gods, she must decide if her beliefs and hopes for the world are worth destroying her family.

What I Loved

What I loved about this book… Is it fair to say everything?

Pacing and Tension

Kaikeyi and Yudhajit

I adored Kaikeyi.

She’s clever. She’s kind. She’s staunch in her beliefs, but not uncompromising. She cares greatly for others. And she challenges both the status quo and the gods.

I was deeply invested in Kaikeyi’s relationship with her twin brother, Yudhajit, because she loved him greatly and they were extraordinary friends. He helped her challenge the status quo, for example, teaching her how to fight and drive a chariot. Yet, in other aspects, he wrote her into the same box as other women, not understanding why she might feel resentful for not being allowed to choose her own husband.

Kaikeyi’s relationships are a major focus in this retelling. Even her magic revolves around the strength of her relationships. Later on, she interacts primarily with her son and step-sons as she raises them to be the kind of men who will be good for all the inhabitants of the kingdom–men and women both. And it is this role, as a step-mother, that she inhabits in the Ramayana. But the other relationships in her life are not pushed aside to only focus on this one. In fact, her interactions with Rama are only a small piece of a much larger puzzle. One of the key take-aways of this novel, I believe, is that Kaikeyi’s life is much more than the evil step-mother role she was relegated to in the Ramayana: her life is not defined by that one interaction with her step-son.

The World

The slices of myth and descriptions of settings and scenery were delicious pieces of the world that were delivered in such as way that I hardly realized I was reading them until an image or idea flowered in my mind. While Kaikeyi traveled extensively and visited many kingdoms and places, there was no map at the beginning of the book, but it wasn’t necessary. I could not draw you a map of Kaikeyi’s world, but I followed along on her travels, learning the customs and the landscape effortlessly. Being able to draw physical lines is far less important than getting the sense of a place.

The mythological, religious, and political world was also well-fleshed out. As they are completely intertwined in this society, it was fascinating to read about the way the sages (who relayed the gods’ messages) and the king balanced political and moral responsibility. It’s this status quo that Kaikeyi challenges, which leads to a fourth aspect of this novel that I really enjoyed.

Women Looking Out for Women

I often read books about strong women whether they are strong because they subvert the expectations of women, or strong because they find ways to create power within the boundaries they are given, or strong because their birth or circumstances have allowed it. Kaikeyi starts out this way. As a princess, she has a lot of privilege despite being a woman. And she, with the use of magic, builds herself into an extremely powerful woman. In most of the books I read, that’s where it ends. Like the main character is a unicorn.

But not here. Kaikeyi raises others up with her. She begins to transform society. She uses that privilege and her power to lift others up with her, whether it’s giving them a place to voice their concerns or finding legal recourse to aid them or changing ideas of what it means to be a woman in this society. She’s not a long unicorn at the top. She’s not a strong women that can be brushed aside because, oh, she’s the only one. She creates a world where she is one strong, independent woman among many.

What I Disliked

I have racked my brain because there must be something about this marvelous novel that I dislike…

And the only thing I’ve come up with was that the flying machine Ravana created was a bit ridiculous. But it’s used for maybe a single page out of nearly 500, does not impact the story, and is probably less bothersome to people more versed in Hindu myths.

Common Critique

So, since I don’t have anything I dislike, I thought I’d address the one common critique that I’ve heard: that the story strays from the traditional Ramayana and portrays Rama discourteously.

I have never read the Ramayana, nor do I know much about it other than that it follows the hero Rama in his fight against evil Hindi spirits who are often portrayed as the enemies of the gods. Therefore, I went into this novel with few expectations other than what was shared in the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book. Therefore, I am not a qualified individual to reflect on the accuracy of the story, especially regarding small details. However, were I familiar with the Ramayana, I still believe I would not feel deeply about missed details or representations because the point of a book from a new person’s point of view is to see the world portrayed through different eyes.

In fact, I think that very point is made abundantly clear in the novel, specifically through one specific scene: At one point, Kaikeyi critiques her step-son, Rama, for using magic to influence people to his point of view, seeming to miss the fact that she’s been doing the same thing for a decade or more. This is a scene that severals key things:

First, it makes Kaikeyi extremely human. For example, my mom constantly tells my dad he’s on his phone all the time, when she is arguably the worst offender in regard to phone use–but she doesn’t see it in herself, only in my dad. This scene renders this a very human story, which means it is, inherently, biased toward Kaikeyi since she is the narrator. Thus any inconsistencies with the Ramayana are due to her biases and point of view, as is right. If her version were exactly the same as one staring Rama then it would feel inauthentic.

Second, this scene clearly portrays why Kaikeyi was vilified in the Ramayana, but is a hero to herself and to the reader. Because she believes her opinions are right and good opinions, therefore to influence people to her side using magic is the right thing to do. But her step-son’s opinions are, in her mind, bad opinions, and will take the kingdom in the wrong direction. Of course, Rama will have the opposite approach, believing his opinions are right and good and thus using magic to make them come about is the honorable thing to do–thus making him the hero in a tale told from his perspective, like the Ramayana.

While Rama, who is a man and thus stands upon that level playing field already, appears (in her mind) to be cheating. Honestly, using magic at all is probably cheating, but it’s fascinating to pick apart this tiny scene because it represents a common debate over how to treat inequality, inequity, justice, etc.

Who would like this book

Perhaps it goes without saying, but just in case it needs to be said: If you liked Circe by Madeline Miller, you need to read Kaikeyi. They are in the same vein: a vilified woman from myth finally getting to tell her story.

Additionally, if you enjoy strong women, novels with mythological and lyrical worlds, and plot driven storytelling, this book is perfect for you. The only thing that might be a turn off for someone who loved Circe is that Circe is far more character-driven than Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi has more action (some fighting, but I mean more activity and less reflection), which makes sense considering Circe was banished to an island where she was the only inhabitant and Kaikeyi is queen of a large kingdom.

If you’ve already read Kaikeyi (or are excited to read it and other like it), luckily, there is a trend going around where women from history and from myths and legends are finally getting to have their time in the spotlight. Other great reads within this frame are The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, and (though not based on myth) She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan.