The Daughters of Madurai: A Novel

by Rajasree Variyar, Vaishnavi Suryaprakash (Narrator)

The Daughters of Madurai is both a heartrending family story and a page-turning mystery about the secrets we must keep to protect those we love.

Madurai, 1992. A young mother in a poor family, Janani is told she is useless if she can’t produce a son—or worse, if she bears daughters. They let her keep her first baby girl, but the rest are taken away as soon as they are born and murdered. But Janani can’t forget the daughters she was never allowed to love.
Sydney, 2019. Nila has a secret; one she’s been keeping from her parents for too long. Before she can say anything, her grandfather in India falls ill and she agrees to join her parents on a trip to Madurai. Nila knows very little about where her family came from or who they left behind. What she’s about to learn will change her forever. While The Daughters of Madurai explores the harrowing issue of female infanticide, it’s also a universal story about the bond between mothers and daughters, the strength of women, and the power of love in overcoming all obstacles.

Audible Audio

Published December 4, 2025

About the author

Rajasree Variyar grew up in Sydney, Australia and now lives in London, where she juggles writing alongside a career in digital insurance product development. She received her MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia in 2020.

Her manuscript of The Daughters of Madurai was shortlisted for Hachette UK's 2019 Mo Siewcharran prize.

Her short stories have won second prize in the Shooter Literary Magazine short story competition and been long-listed for the Brick Lane Bookshop short story competition.