Kaikeyi

“I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions—much good it did me.”

The opening sentence of the novel foreshadows its end, introducing Kaikeyi’s worldview regarding the will of the gods. She narrates that even her “auspicious” birth could not save her from the destiny the gods planned for her, pointing to the novel’s thematic exploration of Destiny Versus Autonomy. Patel frequently uses this foreshadowing device at the beginning of chapters throughout the text.

“I bit down on my tongue. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and I swallowed before it could stain my teeth. I had no idea how to take on any of my mother’s responsibilities, nor did I have any desire to.”

The sensory detail of the blood filling Kaikeyi’s mouth deepens the tension surrounding her future after her mother’s banishment. Patel imbues the vivid description of Kaikeyi tasting her own blood metaphoric resonance, underscoring the ways her position as yuvradnyi will drain her greatly.

“Perhaps we were kin, they and I, yearning for something unnameable, a place where we could stretch our wings and belong.”

Patel uses the word kin several times throughout the text when comparing Kaikeyi to others—notably, the horses she references here. In comparing Kaikeyi to the horses of Kekaya, Patel draws a connection between Kaikeyi and nature and between Kaikeyi’s yearning for freedom and the bridled animals’ desire for the same.