What do you think?
Rate this book
Purple Lotus
Tara moves to the American South three years after her arranged marriage to tech executive Sanjay. Ignored and lonely, Tara finds herself regressing back to childhood memories that have scarred her for life. When she was eight, her parents had left her behind with her aging grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle in Mangalore, while taking her baby brother with them to make a new life for the family in Dubai.
Tara’s memories of abandonment and isolation mirror her present life of loneliness and escalating abuse at the hands of her husband. She accepts the help of kind-hearted American strangers to fight Sanjay, only to be pressured by her patriarchal family to make peace with her circumstances. Then, in a moment of truth, she discovers the importance of self-worth—a revelation that gives her the courage to break free, gently rebuild her life, and even risk being shunned by her community when she marries her childhood love, Cyrus Saldanha.
Life with Cyrus is beautiful, until old fears come knocking. Ultimately, Tara must face these fears to save her relationship with Cyrus—and to confront the victim-shaming society she was raised within.
Intimate and deeply moving, Purple Lotus is the story of one woman’s ascension from the dark depths of desolation toward the light of freedom.
Tara’s memories of abandonment and isolation mirror her present life of loneliness and escalating abuse at the hands of her husband. She accepts the help of kind-hearted American strangers to fight Sanjay, only to be pressured by her patriarchal family to make peace with her circumstances. Then, in a moment of truth, she discovers the importance of self-worth—a revelation that gives her the courage to break free, gently rebuild her life, and even risk being shunned by her community when she marries her childhood love, Cyrus Saldanha.
Life with Cyrus is beautiful, until old fears come knocking. Ultimately, Tara must face these fears to save her relationship with Cyrus—and to confront the victim-shaming society she was raised within.
Intimate and deeply moving, Purple Lotus is the story of one woman’s ascension from the dark depths of desolation toward the light of freedom.
312 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2020
99 people are currently reading
3271 people want to read
About the author
Veena Rao
1 book76 followersVeena Rao is an award-winning journalist and author. Her debut novel Purple Lotus is a 2021 Georgia Author of the Year finalist, a 2021 American Fiction Award winner, and an award-winning finalist in the multicultural and women’s fiction categories of the 2021 International Book Awards.
She is the founding editor of NRI Pulse, an Atlanta-based news publication.
When she is not writing or meeting press deadlines, you will find her meditating or photographing the flora and fauna on her wooded walk route.
She is the founding editor of NRI Pulse, an Atlanta-based news publication.
When she is not writing or meeting press deadlines, you will find her meditating or photographing the flora and fauna on her wooded walk route.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
November 7, 2020
A purple lotus is a symbol of rebirth and this novel lives up to that name. It is the story of a rebirth of an Indian woman who battles through cultural expectations to become her own person. Tara grew up in India and was often left alone. Her parents moved to Dubai when she was young and left her with an uncle who had issues. She ended up turning to books for emotional support. As an adult, Tara is betrothed to an Indian-American who after marrying her returns to the States leaving her behind in India for 3 years alone. Once he finally has her move to America she finds her self still emotionally alone. Her husband, Sanjay, doesn't express any affection for her and often leaves her alone while he stays late at work. Tara starts making some friends and earning her own money and find out more about herself. She suffers from emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her husband. Her family pressures her to stay but Tara feels like she should follow her own heart & spirit.
This was story about Tara overcoming her family's expectations that she be a submissive wife to her husband and just go with things. They are seemingly more concerned about reputation than they are about their daughter's happiness and well-being. This was a tough read at times but Tara was a great protagonist who carved her own path. I enjoyed this read and look forward to more from the author.
What to listen to while reading...
Me and My Husband by Mitski
Home Alone by Hanita Bhambri
Mundane by Mali
I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt
It's Not Worth It by Ramya Pothuri
Rebirth by Komorebi
Love (alap) by Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This was story about Tara overcoming her family's expectations that she be a submissive wife to her husband and just go with things. They are seemingly more concerned about reputation than they are about their daughter's happiness and well-being. This was a tough read at times but Tara was a great protagonist who carved her own path. I enjoyed this read and look forward to more from the author.
What to listen to while reading...
Me and My Husband by Mitski
Home Alone by Hanita Bhambri
Mundane by Mali
I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt
It's Not Worth It by Ramya Pothuri
Rebirth by Komorebi
Love (alap) by Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
July 16, 2024
Please note this is a 4.5.
"We're going to bed tonight early, Krystelle," I say to myself as I open my ARC of this book before I go to bed. "Just going to read about 50 pages to get off to sleep and I'll be done."
This was a lie.
It is not a frequent lie I tell myself, but it's not often that I enjoy a book as much as I enjoyed this one. A sweeping story examining the power of family, love, and the way that a life can be broken and rewoven, there is so much here to put together and take in. The overarching love story, of both Cyrus and Tara and Tara to herself, is wonderful. The themes of domestic violence and the pervasiveness of PTSD are really important themes, and I loved the relationship that Tara finds with her eventual friends even in the strange world of America.
I am so glad that the book ended the way it did- there was so much beauty in here, and I really, really wanted a happy ending. I think my heart would have shattered if the book had ended any other way, but this book left me feeling full. And I won't even begrudge it keeping me up until 2 in the morning to finish it off.
"We're going to bed tonight early, Krystelle," I say to myself as I open my ARC of this book before I go to bed. "Just going to read about 50 pages to get off to sleep and I'll be done."
This was a lie.
It is not a frequent lie I tell myself, but it's not often that I enjoy a book as much as I enjoyed this one. A sweeping story examining the power of family, love, and the way that a life can be broken and rewoven, there is so much here to put together and take in. The overarching love story, of both Cyrus and Tara and Tara to herself, is wonderful. The themes of domestic violence and the pervasiveness of PTSD are really important themes, and I loved the relationship that Tara finds with her eventual friends even in the strange world of America.
I am so glad that the book ended the way it did- there was so much beauty in here, and I really, really wanted a happy ending. I think my heart would have shattered if the book had ended any other way, but this book left me feeling full. And I won't even begrudge it keeping me up until 2 in the morning to finish it off.
September 9, 2022
Wow! Amazing. Immersive. Fantastic. Very well done!
November 15, 2020
"Purple Lotus proves Rao to be an apt writer of character study and an effortless storyteller. I’d recommend it first and foremost to people who are fans of the expansive storytelling of Tayari Jones, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni or Jhumpa Lahiri, and then to anyone who wants to add to their bookshelf of growing Atlanta literature."
- You can read more of my thoughts on the wondrous Purple Lotus over at PANK magazine, at this link below.
https://pankmagazine.com/2020/11/14/r...
- You can read more of my thoughts on the wondrous Purple Lotus over at PANK magazine, at this link below.
https://pankmagazine.com/2020/11/14/r...
Want to read
August 11, 2020August 11, 2020: An Indian protagonist and the story deals with domestic violence and other forms of physical violence by intimate partners....this book is going to be good.
August 18, 2020
This book follows a story of a Indian woman Tara who shifts to America after her marriage, well things go in wrong direction and Tara finds herself trapped between the present and her past, her past if full of hardships and when both of is overlapping, an amazing character get into the story. Cyrus Saldanha, things start to change all over again, for better or for bad? (Read it to find yourself)
.
.
For a reason this book reminds me of The Color Purple, nothing common, expect to the fact that both are amazing woman centric stories filled with pain and struggles, when you start this book, you kind of instantly feel connected to the protagonist, her experiences are more or less common to all the women, I loved how the story was kept so real and raw, without exaggeration.
.
.
The author touches the readers heart with her subtle writing and amazing characters, the book follows mild twists which are enjoyable. This book is going to help millions heal, gain happiness and at the end of the satisfaction. Rao has ultimately put all her heart in the story and at the end it gives out a very strong message. I totally enjoyed it and I lived it till the last page.
.
.
Rating: 4.25🌟
September 26, 2020
“Not all monsters are egregious. Some stay hidden in plain sight.”
This dual timeline story explores the power of Indian culture, family, love, and societal expectations as it relates to one woman’s journey of self discovery. It’s also a deep look at the power, depth, and complexity of domestic violence. The author wades through the murky waters of spousal abuse and the stigmas associated with it with care. But she also leaves us hopeful by focussing on the strength of finding your own voice and loving yourself enough to do what’s best for you.
The story follows the journey of Tara, a young woman raised in India, pushed into an arranged marriage, then shipped off to America. The book seamlessly bounces from her current life in Atlanta with her new husband to her early childhood in India. We sense early on a loneliness in her and feelings of abandonment as her family makes choices that make her feel less than and her husband does the same. We see a lifetime of being set aside and not chosen, not listened to, not supported.
When she arrives in America, her life with Sanjay is not what she expected. He quickly shows signs of abuse. Yet when she seeks out advice from her family she is met with the collective opinion that she must do more, be more. That it is her job to make him happy. Somehow, again, it is her fault.
“Why is it always the woman who is instructed to try harder to win over her husband, to adjust, to stay silent, to make peace with the injustices she faces? When things go wrong, why can’t she turn to her family?”
This book does an incredible job at looking at the contrast of personal happiness with cultural and religious rules. Her family early on has a stake in the marriage. Their opinions weigh on her decisions, even though she is thousands of miles away in a different country. But Tara is resilient and blooms despite her circumstances. She finds a support system through friends in America that help her step into new truths.
Do yourself a favor and run out and get this book when it comes out on September 29th. Perfect for fans of “A Place for Us” and “A Woman Is No Man” this book about a woman coming into her own and finding her voice despite cultural expectations was phenomenal.
CW: abandonment, PTSD, domestic abuse
This dual timeline story explores the power of Indian culture, family, love, and societal expectations as it relates to one woman’s journey of self discovery. It’s also a deep look at the power, depth, and complexity of domestic violence. The author wades through the murky waters of spousal abuse and the stigmas associated with it with care. But she also leaves us hopeful by focussing on the strength of finding your own voice and loving yourself enough to do what’s best for you.
The story follows the journey of Tara, a young woman raised in India, pushed into an arranged marriage, then shipped off to America. The book seamlessly bounces from her current life in Atlanta with her new husband to her early childhood in India. We sense early on a loneliness in her and feelings of abandonment as her family makes choices that make her feel less than and her husband does the same. We see a lifetime of being set aside and not chosen, not listened to, not supported.
When she arrives in America, her life with Sanjay is not what she expected. He quickly shows signs of abuse. Yet when she seeks out advice from her family she is met with the collective opinion that she must do more, be more. That it is her job to make him happy. Somehow, again, it is her fault.
“Why is it always the woman who is instructed to try harder to win over her husband, to adjust, to stay silent, to make peace with the injustices she faces? When things go wrong, why can’t she turn to her family?”
This book does an incredible job at looking at the contrast of personal happiness with cultural and religious rules. Her family early on has a stake in the marriage. Their opinions weigh on her decisions, even though she is thousands of miles away in a different country. But Tara is resilient and blooms despite her circumstances. She finds a support system through friends in America that help her step into new truths.
Do yourself a favor and run out and get this book when it comes out on September 29th. Perfect for fans of “A Place for Us” and “A Woman Is No Man” this book about a woman coming into her own and finding her voice despite cultural expectations was phenomenal.
CW: abandonment, PTSD, domestic abuse
December 19, 2020
”𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺. 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘛𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘐 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘐 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧”
At the age of eight, Tara was left behind in South India while her parents and younger brother shifted to Dubai. She grew up with her grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle. Old memories haunt her present life and unexpected turn of events occur after moving to Atlanta with her husband.
𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 is an excellent representation of women in a patriarchal society, family abandonment, culture expectations, domestic violence and discovering self-worth.
Our Indian protagonist’s story shuffles from her childhood to adult life - bound by her patents and community. Just when she dreamt of living a happy married life in the new country, a deep secret is disclosed and Tara becomes a victim of physical abuse.
With the help of strangers in America, Tara embarks on a journey of self-discovery and independence. She ultimately finds her happiness without feeling suppressed. Away from the path that was chosen by others and living for herself!
Kudos to Veena Rao for writing such an empowering debut novel that everyone, especially desi parents must read. Loved how the last few chapters turned into a curveball and I continued rooting for Tara. Would definitely recommend this inspiring book!
At the age of eight, Tara was left behind in South India while her parents and younger brother shifted to Dubai. She grew up with her grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle. Old memories haunt her present life and unexpected turn of events occur after moving to Atlanta with her husband.
𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 is an excellent representation of women in a patriarchal society, family abandonment, culture expectations, domestic violence and discovering self-worth.
Our Indian protagonist’s story shuffles from her childhood to adult life - bound by her patents and community. Just when she dreamt of living a happy married life in the new country, a deep secret is disclosed and Tara becomes a victim of physical abuse.
With the help of strangers in America, Tara embarks on a journey of self-discovery and independence. She ultimately finds her happiness without feeling suppressed. Away from the path that was chosen by others and living for herself!
Kudos to Veena Rao for writing such an empowering debut novel that everyone, especially desi parents must read. Loved how the last few chapters turned into a curveball and I continued rooting for Tara. Would definitely recommend this inspiring book!
September 25, 2020
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review:
Rao’s debut novel Purple Lotus explores the various dimensions of a woman’s life, human behaviour, societal norms and the consequences of traumatic and abusive events in one’s life. This story highlights the stigmas attached with various life decisions, fears, rejection and feelings of loneliness. Also, this book portrays the inner strength of a woman who discovers herself in the best way she could when her loved ones are against her.
The story of this book revolves around a protagonist Tara who gets married to Sanjay, a techie working in Atlanta. Because of the pending Visa, Tara stays back in India after her marriage. Sanjay calls her for a month but later, the calls stop coming. Suddenly after three years, Sanjay calls Tara and requests her to come to Atlanta. Tara goes there on her parent’s request only to find out the darker side of Sanjay. In the story swinging back and forth, we get to witness Tara’s present and her childhood events as Tara keeps going back to her childhood memories because the abandonment in her life started from there.
With time, Tara finds herself in a moment of self-discovery and freedom. While being independent and enjoying her own company, Tara’s life gets beautiful. She finds someone who loves her more than anything else. But wait, not every story has the same happily ever after. The final chapters take a twist that hooks you to the story even more.
In the final pages of her book, Rao won my heart by making me cry, happy cry, sad cry and angry cry. An act of Tara’s moulds her life into a completely different way. The story ends unconventionally but beautifully.
My take:
This book is well written with parallel stories as the story keeps shuttling between Tara’s present and childhood. The transition is smooth because it never loses the connection. The language is lucid and gripping. Some best things I loved about this book are, cultural references, theme variation, the embedding of some amazing books as Tara finds her solace in books in troubling times of life, raw emotions, to the point character description and the believable plot.
Speaking of the pace, it is very much constant throughout the book except at a point I feel the story to be rushing, but thankfully, it got back to the regular pace.
To conclude my review, I highly recommend this if you love reading books around themes of empowerment, female voice representation and self-realisation. Go for it.
Rao’s debut novel Purple Lotus explores the various dimensions of a woman’s life, human behaviour, societal norms and the consequences of traumatic and abusive events in one’s life. This story highlights the stigmas attached with various life decisions, fears, rejection and feelings of loneliness. Also, this book portrays the inner strength of a woman who discovers herself in the best way she could when her loved ones are against her.
The story of this book revolves around a protagonist Tara who gets married to Sanjay, a techie working in Atlanta. Because of the pending Visa, Tara stays back in India after her marriage. Sanjay calls her for a month but later, the calls stop coming. Suddenly after three years, Sanjay calls Tara and requests her to come to Atlanta. Tara goes there on her parent’s request only to find out the darker side of Sanjay. In the story swinging back and forth, we get to witness Tara’s present and her childhood events as Tara keeps going back to her childhood memories because the abandonment in her life started from there.
With time, Tara finds herself in a moment of self-discovery and freedom. While being independent and enjoying her own company, Tara’s life gets beautiful. She finds someone who loves her more than anything else. But wait, not every story has the same happily ever after. The final chapters take a twist that hooks you to the story even more.
In the final pages of her book, Rao won my heart by making me cry, happy cry, sad cry and angry cry. An act of Tara’s moulds her life into a completely different way. The story ends unconventionally but beautifully.
My take:
This book is well written with parallel stories as the story keeps shuttling between Tara’s present and childhood. The transition is smooth because it never loses the connection. The language is lucid and gripping. Some best things I loved about this book are, cultural references, theme variation, the embedding of some amazing books as Tara finds her solace in books in troubling times of life, raw emotions, to the point character description and the believable plot.
Speaking of the pace, it is very much constant throughout the book except at a point I feel the story to be rushing, but thankfully, it got back to the regular pace.
To conclude my review, I highly recommend this if you love reading books around themes of empowerment, female voice representation and self-realisation. Go for it.
September 11, 2020
This was a decent read that delves deep into victim-shaming and its presence in Indian culture. I will be the first to admit that I don't know much about Indian culture, which is why I found this OwnVoices perspective eye-opening.
Tara's story is interesting and a bit heartbreaking. She was left behind by her family when she was just a kid so that she would focus on school. They took her younger brother along with them and left the poor girl with extended family. Her parents apparently didn't think much about leaving her with her grandparents and schizophrenic uncle. This same "leftovers" syndrome carries throughout about 50-60% of the book - no men seem to be eager to marry her so she doesn't get married until her 30s, and even then, it's to a guy that doesn't care about her.
I was really interested in Tara's marriage story with Sanjay and I enjoyed how the author highlighted her family's reactions to her marital problems. I kept thinking, "Why doesn't she just leave?!" even before he became abusive, but then I needed to remind myself that this is not my culture and that my values may differ. It's also really hard to break away from lessons that have been taught to you throughout your whole life and only reinforced by the members of your extended community. It's not fair to judge.
Though I liked the cultural lessons woven into the story, I found some of the writing hard to get through. The beginning of the book in particular was overly descriptive and became a bit tedious to get through. And after her first marriage ended, the story dragged on for a bit. I was surprised to find the book is only a little over 300 pages because it felt like a bit of a chore to finish.
Overall, some good stuff in here but the writing made it a bit hard to get through. Could just be a case of an author's writing style not being for me.
Tara's story is interesting and a bit heartbreaking. She was left behind by her family when she was just a kid so that she would focus on school. They took her younger brother along with them and left the poor girl with extended family. Her parents apparently didn't think much about leaving her with her grandparents and schizophrenic uncle. This same "leftovers" syndrome carries throughout about 50-60% of the book - no men seem to be eager to marry her so she doesn't get married until her 30s, and even then, it's to a guy that doesn't care about her.
I was really interested in Tara's marriage story with Sanjay and I enjoyed how the author highlighted her family's reactions to her marital problems. I kept thinking, "Why doesn't she just leave?!" even before he became abusive, but then I needed to remind myself that this is not my culture and that my values may differ. It's also really hard to break away from lessons that have been taught to you throughout your whole life and only reinforced by the members of your extended community. It's not fair to judge.
Though I liked the cultural lessons woven into the story, I found some of the writing hard to get through. The beginning of the book in particular was overly descriptive and became a bit tedious to get through. And after her first marriage ended, the story dragged on for a bit. I was surprised to find the book is only a little over 300 pages because it felt like a bit of a chore to finish.
Overall, some good stuff in here but the writing made it a bit hard to get through. Could just be a case of an author's writing style not being for me.
March 14, 2021
3.5 Stars
There were some pacing issues with this book towards the beginning and perhaps it tried to take on too many themes at once. But I think the ending solidified this book as an inspirational account of a woman's journey to accept herself and her love and fight back against the patriarchal mores that grip Indian society.
There were some pacing issues with this book towards the beginning and perhaps it tried to take on too many themes at once. But I think the ending solidified this book as an inspirational account of a woman's journey to accept herself and her love and fight back against the patriarchal mores that grip Indian society.
September 14, 2020
4.5 stars
Review was first posted on the wordy habitat
I came across this book while looking at Netgalley own voices books and was immediately interested. The premise sounded too good. The cherry on the top was that it’s partly set in Mangalore, which is just hours away from me.
When I expressed interest in the book, the author kindly provided me with a review copy. A few days after that, my request for the book on Netgalley was also approved. So you can say that the universe was pushing me to read it.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with review copies. All opinions are my own.
Note: Since I received an advanced copy, any quotes may be different on actual publication.
I spent about 15 minutes writing the synopsis on top because trying to put down the entirety of this book in a few sentences is HARD. Purple Lotus is so much more than a book about an unhealthy marriage or a woman finding her true love. And I’m here to convince you of that.
Content warnings for the book: abandonment, (physical) domestic abuse.
I would also like to mention that I am an own voices reviewer because of my connection to book’s representation of religion, family, and society. Many themes in this book are very personal to me and I will be writing my thoughts through that lens.
The writing style.
I was absorbed right from the beginning. There are enough descriptions to transport the reader into the book but not too many that the descriptions will distract from the actual story.
The story is also told in two parts with the current timeline following Tara in America and flashbacks where we see Tara growing up in India. The flashbacks were well-placed and took on an air of nostalgia which came through the text.
But my favourite part about the writing was when it dealt with heavy issues. The author has ingeniously brought in discussions about familial expectations, carrying society’s opinions on one’s shoulders, and the struggle between personal happiness and collective happiness. There were several lines in the book which I had to highlight because they accurately describe the situation while also bringing out the emotion. Also those lines just hit me hard personally.
An accurate cultural representation of “marriage”.
Purple Lotus is completely Indian. Half the book is set in Mangalore and the entire book has the backdrop of Indian expectations and beliefs. The author uses this book to pose multiple questions and raise points about the Indian society and way of doing things.
One of the major themes is marriage. Through Tara, we see that marriage is not just a relationship between two individuals. The entire society is involved in a marriage and this starts even before the marriage is agreed to.
Tara’s marriage is an arranged affair, which is very common in India. But it is more likely for such marriages to go wrong than right. After all, two strangers are getting married after meeting maybe once or twice. And the decision to agree to the marriage is not completely in the couple’s hands. The decision is influenced heavily by family and also society.
The biggest problem in the Indian thinking of a marriage is putting all the responsibility on the wife’s shoulders. When Tara’s husband does not make arrangements for her to go to America for three years after their marriage, it’s determined that it must be her fault. When he does call her after years, she is expected to drop her life in an instant and go to him.
When the relationship turns ugly, even up to physical violence, the blame is still on the woman. And the expectation to fix the relationship is also on the woman. This expectation is one way that “reputation in the society” barges itself into a home.
This book brings up how Indian ways of thinking and tradition is harmful even if the people have good intentions. Tara is told to fix her relationship with her husband by her own parents even after bringing up all the ways she has been hurt.
Basically, this book hits the nail on the head in this topic. I really liked the way the institution and concept of an Indian marriage was handled. We get Tara’s relationship with her abusive husband which is accepted by the society, and then we also get her marriage with a man she loves which is rejected by everyone else. All the nuances with family, relationship, and society comes into picture really well.
The details.
I don’t know what section to put this under so I’m just going to say details.
There are so many small things which set the scene and felt like home to me. From food descriptions, to bringing up Beary Bashe (or Beary language) which is a language here, and descriptions of Mangalore. It really helped set the mood for the book and it brought me closer to the text.
Also there were some things that are so Indian that they me hard. For example, the following quote:
My mum is the exact same.
All these details were the reason why this book made a huge impact on me.
A+ character growth.
Character growth is one of the major things which I look for in a book and Purple Lotus delivered in spades.
The book is entirely about Tara’s journey of self-growth. We see enough of her formative years to get a complete understanding of her character including weaknesses and buried emotions. Those flashbacks really help support her story in the current timeline where she is living in America.
I absolutely loved reading through Tara because it helped me fully understand her and relate to her. The inner thoughts and monologues were well-written and never felt out of place.
Mental health representation.
Tara’s uncle, who was one of her primary guardians when she was younger, has schizophrenia.
Since Tara is close to her uncle, we get to see how her relationship with him is affected because of the illness. Along with that, we also see how mental illnesses are perceived in general in India. The reactions to her uncle’s illness which she doesn’t completely understand as a child have an influence on Tara’s thought processes later on.
The representation was great because it added so much meaning to the story without pulling the plot in a different direction.
Overall
Tara goes through so much in this book and I felt like I went through it all with her in the span of hours. And it was literally hours because I could not put the book down. I read the last 3/4ths of the book in one sitting.
I highly recommend this book. It is very thoughtful and has been written beautifully.
Also, this would be a really great book club pick because there are several parts that start discussions.
Review was first posted on the wordy habitat
I came across this book while looking at Netgalley own voices books and was immediately interested. The premise sounded too good. The cherry on the top was that it’s partly set in Mangalore, which is just hours away from me.
When I expressed interest in the book, the author kindly provided me with a review copy. A few days after that, my request for the book on Netgalley was also approved. So you can say that the universe was pushing me to read it.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with review copies. All opinions are my own.
Note: Since I received an advanced copy, any quotes may be different on actual publication.
I spent about 15 minutes writing the synopsis on top because trying to put down the entirety of this book in a few sentences is HARD. Purple Lotus is so much more than a book about an unhealthy marriage or a woman finding her true love. And I’m here to convince you of that.
Content warnings for the book: abandonment, (physical) domestic abuse.
I would also like to mention that I am an own voices reviewer because of my connection to book’s representation of religion, family, and society. Many themes in this book are very personal to me and I will be writing my thoughts through that lens.
The writing style.
I was absorbed right from the beginning. There are enough descriptions to transport the reader into the book but not too many that the descriptions will distract from the actual story.
The story is also told in two parts with the current timeline following Tara in America and flashbacks where we see Tara growing up in India. The flashbacks were well-placed and took on an air of nostalgia which came through the text.
But my favourite part about the writing was when it dealt with heavy issues. The author has ingeniously brought in discussions about familial expectations, carrying society’s opinions on one’s shoulders, and the struggle between personal happiness and collective happiness. There were several lines in the book which I had to highlight because they accurately describe the situation while also bringing out the emotion. Also those lines just hit me hard personally.
In a culture where personal space was still an alien concept, you were never alone except when you died.
An accurate cultural representation of “marriage”.
Purple Lotus is completely Indian. Half the book is set in Mangalore and the entire book has the backdrop of Indian expectations and beliefs. The author uses this book to pose multiple questions and raise points about the Indian society and way of doing things.
One of the major themes is marriage. Through Tara, we see that marriage is not just a relationship between two individuals. The entire society is involved in a marriage and this starts even before the marriage is agreed to.
Tara’s marriage is an arranged affair, which is very common in India. But it is more likely for such marriages to go wrong than right. After all, two strangers are getting married after meeting maybe once or twice. And the decision to agree to the marriage is not completely in the couple’s hands. The decision is influenced heavily by family and also society.
The biggest problem in the Indian thinking of a marriage is putting all the responsibility on the wife’s shoulders. When Tara’s husband does not make arrangements for her to go to America for three years after their marriage, it’s determined that it must be her fault. When he does call her after years, she is expected to drop her life in an instant and go to him.
When the relationship turns ugly, even up to physical violence, the blame is still on the woman. And the expectation to fix the relationship is also on the woman. This expectation is one way that “reputation in the society” barges itself into a home.
This book brings up how Indian ways of thinking and tradition is harmful even if the people have good intentions. Tara is told to fix her relationship with her husband by her own parents even after bringing up all the ways she has been hurt.
To modern-day keepers of our traditions, I ask: Why is it always the woman who is instructed to try harder to win over her husband, to adjust, to stay silent, to make peace with the injustices she faces? When things go wrong, why can’t she turn to her family? If she finally decides to stand up for herself, why does her family not stand with her?
Basically, this book hits the nail on the head in this topic. I really liked the way the institution and concept of an Indian marriage was handled. We get Tara’s relationship with her abusive husband which is accepted by the society, and then we also get her marriage with a man she loves which is rejected by everyone else. All the nuances with family, relationship, and society comes into picture really well.
The details.
I don’t know what section to put this under so I’m just going to say details.
There are so many small things which set the scene and felt like home to me. From food descriptions, to bringing up Beary Bashe (or Beary language) which is a language here, and descriptions of Mangalore. It really helped set the mood for the book and it brought me closer to the text.
Also there were some things that are so Indian that they me hard. For example, the following quote:
“I want you to be happy,” she said. “That’s all a mother every wants.”
That was Amma’s favourite line, repeated every so often, as if she had a constant need to be absolved of guilt.
My mum is the exact same.
All these details were the reason why this book made a huge impact on me.
A+ character growth.
Character growth is one of the major things which I look for in a book and Purple Lotus delivered in spades.
The book is entirely about Tara’s journey of self-growth. We see enough of her formative years to get a complete understanding of her character including weaknesses and buried emotions. Those flashbacks really help support her story in the current timeline where she is living in America.
I absolutely loved reading through Tara because it helped me fully understand her and relate to her. The inner thoughts and monologues were well-written and never felt out of place.
Mental health representation.
Tara’s uncle, who was one of her primary guardians when she was younger, has schizophrenia.
Since Tara is close to her uncle, we get to see how her relationship with him is affected because of the illness. Along with that, we also see how mental illnesses are perceived in general in India. The reactions to her uncle’s illness which she doesn’t completely understand as a child have an influence on Tara’s thought processes later on.
She wondered now how he had coped with being shunned at weddings and engagements and naming ceremonies. How had he faced the madman label that preceded his arrival even during his brief periods of sanity?
The representation was great because it added so much meaning to the story without pulling the plot in a different direction.
Overall
Tara goes through so much in this book and I felt like I went through it all with her in the span of hours. And it was literally hours because I could not put the book down. I read the last 3/4ths of the book in one sitting.
I highly recommend this book. It is very thoughtful and has been written beautifully.
Also, this would be a really great book club pick because there are several parts that start discussions.
August 6, 2020
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Each flower has its own story and paves its own journey. Author Veena Rao, in her debut novel Purple Lotus unravels the resilience of her protagonist Tara, who, much like the title flower, rises from the mud, blooms out of darkness and radiates into the world, in a soothing tone of absolute resolve to remain unaffected by the sludge that surrounds her.
Tara, the lotus (literal translation), finds herself in murky waters right from the get-go, when her parents move to Dubai in pursuit of a bright future for the family, leaving behind Tara with her aging grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle in Mangalore, while taking her baby brother with them.
The seed of abandonment seeped into Tara’s being at a tender age reaps its bounty as she is bound in a loveless and abusive marriage with Sanjay, who lives in Atlanta. Her trials continue to mount as Sanjay’s indifference gradually turns into violence and Tara is forced to accept kindness of American strangers to fight Sanjay, only to be pressured by her patriarchal family to make peace with her circumstances.
Tara’s path takes a turn for the better, when, in a moment of truth, she discovers the importance of her own esteem and worth, setting herself free from conforms of her community as she reconnects and eventually marries her childhood love, Cyrus.
Rao, the journalist, shines through in the final pages of her novel, wrapping up with a fitting “article” by Tara that confronts a victim-shaming society. “Not all monsters are egregious. Some stay hidden in plain sight,” writes Rao’s Tara, pointing to not just to the perpetrators of crime against women, but also a spiteful society and venomous close circle of the victim, that crushes the victim’s spirits, driving them into a deeper abyss of despair.
This charmingly simplistic chronicle explores the many dimensions of the human mind, women in particular. Tara, at the beginning of the novel loses her favorite doll, Pinky. Opening with Mark Twain’s elucidation of grief that equates a child’s loss of a doll and a king’s loss of crown, Rao charmingly connects Tara’s anguish of a seemingly simple loss that becomes part of being, rearing his ugly head even in the happiest of times. What Tara does with those fears and how it shapes the woman she molds into, culminates into a rousing finale of self-realization. “I was expected to exist for society. I chose to live, To love.”
Rao’s strength in writing is her ability to maintain the mellow milieu even as she powerfully propagates empowerment, confronts social stigmas and deals with deeply disturbing feelings of dejection, rejection, and desertion with grace and poignance. Rao scores extra brownie points for the character development of Tara and her ensuing transformation. Never rushed or overtly dramatic, the growth is refreshingly organic and effortlessly relatable.
I particularly enjoyed the bonding between women, who, despite their own shortcomings, offer courage, companionship and care to each other, forging sisterhood far beyond blood and borders.
The tranquil tone of the narrative that navigates the odyssey of one woman who discovers her own self and strength, offers the same delight as watching a purple lotus weather the storm, dance in the rain and stands unwavering, even when the wind torments her fragile frame.
Each flower has its own story and paves its own journey. Author Veena Rao, in her debut novel Purple Lotus unravels the resilience of her protagonist Tara, who, much like the title flower, rises from the mud, blooms out of darkness and radiates into the world, in a soothing tone of absolute resolve to remain unaffected by the sludge that surrounds her.
Tara, the lotus (literal translation), finds herself in murky waters right from the get-go, when her parents move to Dubai in pursuit of a bright future for the family, leaving behind Tara with her aging grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle in Mangalore, while taking her baby brother with them.
The seed of abandonment seeped into Tara’s being at a tender age reaps its bounty as she is bound in a loveless and abusive marriage with Sanjay, who lives in Atlanta. Her trials continue to mount as Sanjay’s indifference gradually turns into violence and Tara is forced to accept kindness of American strangers to fight Sanjay, only to be pressured by her patriarchal family to make peace with her circumstances.
Tara’s path takes a turn for the better, when, in a moment of truth, she discovers the importance of her own esteem and worth, setting herself free from conforms of her community as she reconnects and eventually marries her childhood love, Cyrus.
Rao, the journalist, shines through in the final pages of her novel, wrapping up with a fitting “article” by Tara that confronts a victim-shaming society. “Not all monsters are egregious. Some stay hidden in plain sight,” writes Rao’s Tara, pointing to not just to the perpetrators of crime against women, but also a spiteful society and venomous close circle of the victim, that crushes the victim’s spirits, driving them into a deeper abyss of despair.
This charmingly simplistic chronicle explores the many dimensions of the human mind, women in particular. Tara, at the beginning of the novel loses her favorite doll, Pinky. Opening with Mark Twain’s elucidation of grief that equates a child’s loss of a doll and a king’s loss of crown, Rao charmingly connects Tara’s anguish of a seemingly simple loss that becomes part of being, rearing his ugly head even in the happiest of times. What Tara does with those fears and how it shapes the woman she molds into, culminates into a rousing finale of self-realization. “I was expected to exist for society. I chose to live, To love.”
Rao’s strength in writing is her ability to maintain the mellow milieu even as she powerfully propagates empowerment, confronts social stigmas and deals with deeply disturbing feelings of dejection, rejection, and desertion with grace and poignance. Rao scores extra brownie points for the character development of Tara and her ensuing transformation. Never rushed or overtly dramatic, the growth is refreshingly organic and effortlessly relatable.
I particularly enjoyed the bonding between women, who, despite their own shortcomings, offer courage, companionship and care to each other, forging sisterhood far beyond blood and borders.
The tranquil tone of the narrative that navigates the odyssey of one woman who discovers her own self and strength, offers the same delight as watching a purple lotus weather the storm, dance in the rain and stands unwavering, even when the wind torments her fragile frame.
October 2, 2020
This book is a modern immigration story of an Indian woman joining her husband in America. Tara comes from a very traditional family in India. Early in the book I developed great empathy for her. When she married an American Indian man, and he returned to America and ignored her for three years, I wanted to scream at Tara to wake up and realize he was no good! Tara joins him in America, though, and encounters obstacles in her marriage as well as culturally. This novel is a wonderful tale of how this woman blossoms into her own person and takes charge of her life. You won't want to put it down.
January 13, 2021
Purple Lotus is an inspiring story of an immigrant woman who must push against societal pressures and her own fears to create a happy life for herself in America. The book is written around the themes of domestic abuse, abandonment fears, mental health, and the ways in which we carry the burden of patriarchal beliefs even as we try to assimilate into American society. Tara's story provides a rare, intimate glimpse into a minority American culture even as it keeps the reader hooked in a deeply engaging plot. A must-read!
September 28, 2020
4.5 Stars! {Thanks to She Writes Press for the advanced copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.}
Elegant, thoughtful, and pulsing with a driving force, Purple Lotus is simply gorgeous. Rao’s debut literary novel (that she spent 10 (TEN!) years writing) is a family drama that highlights the cultural stigmas that accompany the decisions and obligations many Indian women face to please their communities and family.
Purple Lotus explores the strength it takes for a woman to overcome societal norms, personal fears of rejection and abandonment, and an abusive spouse in order to find personal freedom.
This book is an anthem to all neglected, abused, and otherwise oppressed women. It carries so much strength of character, while at the same time holding a place for tenderness, vulnerability, and mistakes.
Purple Lotus is one of those books that is relatively unheard of now, but I have no doubt will become a favorite in many hearts. Wonderful for fans of A Woman Is No Man and A Place For Us.
Elegant, thoughtful, and pulsing with a driving force, Purple Lotus is simply gorgeous. Rao’s debut literary novel (that she spent 10 (TEN!) years writing) is a family drama that highlights the cultural stigmas that accompany the decisions and obligations many Indian women face to please their communities and family.
Purple Lotus explores the strength it takes for a woman to overcome societal norms, personal fears of rejection and abandonment, and an abusive spouse in order to find personal freedom.
This book is an anthem to all neglected, abused, and otherwise oppressed women. It carries so much strength of character, while at the same time holding a place for tenderness, vulnerability, and mistakes.
Purple Lotus is one of those books that is relatively unheard of now, but I have no doubt will become a favorite in many hearts. Wonderful for fans of A Woman Is No Man and A Place For Us.
September 21, 2020
“To rule yourself is to rule the world.”
Having lived a childhood of neglect by her parents, Tara only wants to be wanted when her husband, by an arranged marriage, sends for her to come to America. Ready to be the perfect wife in every way, Tara is overwhelmed by feelings of shame when the marriage is not to be what she had hoped. Feeling trapped by her family’s desire to hold their reputation stable back in India Tara tries desperately to make the best of a bad situation. When push comes to shove quite literally Tara is encouraged by friends to make some big changes. This is the beginning of the flowering of Tara, a woman so entrenched in her family’s ideals. Memories of her childhood spent with a small group of friends and of her schizophrenic Uncle will lay the foundation for Tara to become her own person- one who will determine her entire future.
This a wonderful piece of women’s fiction. The strong female character feels fresh in the arranged marriage/coming to America trope. The author has written a well-paced novel
with characters to both love and hate. While the main character keeps her insecurities based in her childhood experiences for a good part of the novel, the author has done a superb job in sharing her development into a mature woman who rises from the “muddy waters.”
A story about facing ones’ fears and making a positive impact, Purple Lotus will uplift the reader. Thank you to @shewritespress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Purple Lotus publishes September 29, 2020.
Having lived a childhood of neglect by her parents, Tara only wants to be wanted when her husband, by an arranged marriage, sends for her to come to America. Ready to be the perfect wife in every way, Tara is overwhelmed by feelings of shame when the marriage is not to be what she had hoped. Feeling trapped by her family’s desire to hold their reputation stable back in India Tara tries desperately to make the best of a bad situation. When push comes to shove quite literally Tara is encouraged by friends to make some big changes. This is the beginning of the flowering of Tara, a woman so entrenched in her family’s ideals. Memories of her childhood spent with a small group of friends and of her schizophrenic Uncle will lay the foundation for Tara to become her own person- one who will determine her entire future.
This a wonderful piece of women’s fiction. The strong female character feels fresh in the arranged marriage/coming to America trope. The author has written a well-paced novel
with characters to both love and hate. While the main character keeps her insecurities based in her childhood experiences for a good part of the novel, the author has done a superb job in sharing her development into a mature woman who rises from the “muddy waters.”
A story about facing ones’ fears and making a positive impact, Purple Lotus will uplift the reader. Thank you to @shewritespress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Purple Lotus publishes September 29, 2020.
November 5, 2020
This harrowing story follows Tara, an Indian woman who has moved to Atlanta to be with her new husband. Their marriage was arranged and she had only met him a few times before marrying. She hopes she is entering into a loving marriage but she finds herself completely ignored in her new home. Tara is incredibly lonely but brave, and she finds a way to forge her own life in this new country.
This book instantly gripped me. I felt deeply for Tara and the many different hardship she had to endure. This is ultimately a tale about the strength of women. I thought the story got a little slow towards the middle. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
This book instantly gripped me. I felt deeply for Tara and the many different hardship she had to endure. This is ultimately a tale about the strength of women. I thought the story got a little slow towards the middle. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
November 28, 2020
I enjoyed this book very much. The narrative is very powerful, and it was satisfying to watch Tara find herself and build a nurturing network of friends and chosen family. Obviously, many trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and verbal abuse and sexual assault apply.
Tara moves to Atlanta for an arranged marriage and slowly extricates herself from her unhappy situation with the help of her network of found friends, also recent immigrants. The focus of the narrative revolves around the positive network of friendships in my opinion, and I appreciated that. Tara does find a positive romantic relationship, but that's the icing on her happiness. Would recommend.
Tara moves to Atlanta for an arranged marriage and slowly extricates herself from her unhappy situation with the help of her network of found friends, also recent immigrants. The focus of the narrative revolves around the positive network of friendships in my opinion, and I appreciated that. Tara does find a positive romantic relationship, but that's the icing on her happiness. Would recommend.
July 9, 2021
This novel was a gripper. I had it last on my pile of books on the floor, and thought, maybe i should return it to the library, no time, no time. Well reader, thank goodness i didn't listen to that voice. Purple Lotus is not only fascinating, pulls you into the heart of the novel as one of our (all women) own, but gives a good take on culture, subvservient woman versus one coming into her qualities and abilities.
Veena Rao shows the love and value and distress of not pleasing her family. As women, I think we are born to please, and yet, because of circumstances she is thrust into turmoil, a dark door, which leads her to insights and a gathering of a strength to strength. I read it at every opportunity I could, even when it was hot, and my eyelids fell to the floor in need of a nap. Never mind, reading more important.
I think it is a book that should be read by all, particularly women. The thing about reading is we all find community. We find ourselves. We find others, but they are "others" no more. I wish the author of this book many future books and thank her for her bravely told story, albeit in the form of a novel (at least that's what I think).
Veena Rao shows the love and value and distress of not pleasing her family. As women, I think we are born to please, and yet, because of circumstances she is thrust into turmoil, a dark door, which leads her to insights and a gathering of a strength to strength. I read it at every opportunity I could, even when it was hot, and my eyelids fell to the floor in need of a nap. Never mind, reading more important.
I think it is a book that should be read by all, particularly women. The thing about reading is we all find community. We find ourselves. We find others, but they are "others" no more. I wish the author of this book many future books and thank her for her bravely told story, albeit in the form of a novel (at least that's what I think).
January 2, 2021
It's funny because I had planned to make this book my last read for 2020, but it spilled over to 2021 and I finished it today, first of the year. And how apropos! Lotus in many Eastern religions symbolizes rebirth and enlightenment. Even in the muddiest waters, the lotus plant can produce such a beautiful flower, untouched and pure. Given all the obstacles that 2020 has thrown our way, I feel like 2021 can be the year of the lotus - as we bloom into this new year with cautious optimism and hope. This book was so beautifully written as it details a young woman who has to face her own challenges within a rigid societal structure deeply rooted in patriarchy and learns to blossom despite the pressures that come from a close-minded community. I felt even more connected to this story as she uprooted from Mangalore to Atlanta, freshly married and learning to navigate a new foreign life, both geographically but also mentally. I didn't nearly suffer the indignities she faced from childhood and beyond, but I felt a sense of kinship with the heroine and I was rooting for her triumph til the end. The author ties up the loose ends really nicely and the message at the end about female empowerment was uplifting and inspiring. I hope this reaches young girls everywhere who may be struggling with similar issues as Tara but I highly recommend this book to all.
September 2, 2020
Growing up in India, Tara loses her sense of self when her parents and younger brother move away. She is left with her grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle to wait for her parent's return. She later marries an Indian who lives in America but doesn't join him until three years after the wedding. It is a disastrous marriage with physical and verbal abuse. Tara ultimately sets out on her own in order to come to terms with her past and present.
The writing is engaging and the story is hopeful. Purple Lotus gives readers a typical view of India--arranged marriages, family dishonor, the status of male and female children. I highly recommend it if you enjoy reading about Indian life.
Thank you Veena Rao, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
The writing is engaging and the story is hopeful. Purple Lotus gives readers a typical view of India--arranged marriages, family dishonor, the status of male and female children. I highly recommend it if you enjoy reading about Indian life.
Thank you Veena Rao, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
September 27, 2020
Rao's debut novel, Purple Lotus, has a lot of good story in it. Unfortunately for me, the execution did not meet the high bar raised by the plot. Purple Lotus is about recovery from abuse, about Indian family values, about how we project our past experiences over how we think others will respond to our actions.
Rao really does a fantastic job of writing what it is like to be living in a situation of emotional abuse. Throughout the first half of the book, I felt like I was there with Tara, feeling my options becoming more and more limited. I was worrying about what to cook my no-good husband for dinner when he was around. I was worrying about what my family would think of our relationship and how they would get along with him. I was worrying about his reaction to me buying thrift store coats.
But then halfway through the story, there is a shift. Tara leaves her husband to become more independent and regain her feelings of self worth. Unfortunately, this is when the writing shifts and I felt I was no longer in the story. Now I'm an observer, a fly on the wall, watching this story as though it is a time lapse through the rest of her life. The story never lingers for long in one place, instead moving forward at irregular intervals, but also never skipping over much. Instead huge swaths of time are condensed into one or two paragraphs, which left the story feeling like a very different book than the one I had started. Suddenly, I looked up from my reading and realized I didn't like any of the characters anymore.
What Rao is trying to do at this point is a very difficult thing to do, which is to unpack the emotional abuse and trauma with her characters. She had been showing us the effects up until this point, now she was attempting to help them recover while they were still experiencing the after-effects. In attempting to convey the experience of trauma, there were often over-explained/over-exaggerating sections about emotions. This over-exaggeration in turn made the characters seem a bit childish, in a way that threw me off from the rest of the story. Now I found myself no longer reading for the journey, but reading just to see the outcome in the end.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rao really does a fantastic job of writing what it is like to be living in a situation of emotional abuse. Throughout the first half of the book, I felt like I was there with Tara, feeling my options becoming more and more limited. I was worrying about what to cook my no-good husband for dinner when he was around. I was worrying about what my family would think of our relationship and how they would get along with him. I was worrying about his reaction to me buying thrift store coats.
But then halfway through the story, there is a shift. Tara leaves her husband to become more independent and regain her feelings of self worth. Unfortunately, this is when the writing shifts and I felt I was no longer in the story. Now I'm an observer, a fly on the wall, watching this story as though it is a time lapse through the rest of her life. The story never lingers for long in one place, instead moving forward at irregular intervals, but also never skipping over much. Instead huge swaths of time are condensed into one or two paragraphs, which left the story feeling like a very different book than the one I had started. Suddenly, I looked up from my reading and realized I didn't like any of the characters anymore.
What Rao is trying to do at this point is a very difficult thing to do, which is to unpack the emotional abuse and trauma with her characters. She had been showing us the effects up until this point, now she was attempting to help them recover while they were still experiencing the after-effects. In attempting to convey the experience of trauma, there were often over-explained/over-exaggerating sections about emotions. This over-exaggeration in turn made the characters seem a bit childish, in a way that threw me off from the rest of the story. Now I found myself no longer reading for the journey, but reading just to see the outcome in the end.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
November 9, 2020The taboo subject of domestic abuse is brilliantly tackled in Veena Rao's debut novel "Purple Lotus". In many cultures, a heavy burden is placed on female children to please others at all times and to conform with the norm that has been in place for generations.
In this novel, you can feel how societal pressure at every stage becomes a very perilous journey for the high-spirited Tara.
As Tara enters and stays in a loveless, abusive marriage to please her parents and society thousands of miles away, she feels ashamed, isolated, broken and scared. As much as she tries to make her relationship work with her husband, things escalated to a point of no return. Finally reaching her limit, she musters enough courage to walk out. She meets a couple of angelic women who took her under their wings and she begins to find her true self worth and begins to blossom.
This is a highly inspiring book, well written and a beacon of hope for millions of women everywhere.
In this novel, you can feel how societal pressure at every stage becomes a very perilous journey for the high-spirited Tara.
As Tara enters and stays in a loveless, abusive marriage to please her parents and society thousands of miles away, she feels ashamed, isolated, broken and scared. As much as she tries to make her relationship work with her husband, things escalated to a point of no return. Finally reaching her limit, she musters enough courage to walk out. She meets a couple of angelic women who took her under their wings and she begins to find her true self worth and begins to blossom.
This is a highly inspiring book, well written and a beacon of hope for millions of women everywhere.
September 25, 2020
This book in an inspiring story about finding your self worth and the courage it takes to face your fears.
This book does an amazing job of showcasing how often times people don’t notice red flags or even realize they’re being abused. While it is abundantly clear to the reader that the way her husband treats her is unacceptable Tara’s thoughts show that she doesn’t think the same way. At one point she is even disappointed that he’s not mad at her because she thinks that means he doesn’t care.
The book also explores what it is like to be a woman in a patriarchal society where the men are valued and the women are picked apart.
We follow Tara on her journey to realizing her self worth and facing her fears in order to gain her personal happiness and the ending was a beautiful tribute to the empowerment of demanding respect.
This is a must read!!
This book does an amazing job of showcasing how often times people don’t notice red flags or even realize they’re being abused. While it is abundantly clear to the reader that the way her husband treats her is unacceptable Tara’s thoughts show that she doesn’t think the same way. At one point she is even disappointed that he’s not mad at her because she thinks that means he doesn’t care.
The book also explores what it is like to be a woman in a patriarchal society where the men are valued and the women are picked apart.
We follow Tara on her journey to realizing her self worth and facing her fears in order to gain her personal happiness and the ending was a beautiful tribute to the empowerment of demanding respect.
This is a must read!!
January 18, 2021
Veena Rao has written a beautiful and inspiring book. She does an excellent job of illustrating the pressure put on the main character, Tara, by her Indian family. Through Rao's careful depiction, the reader understands not only the demands put upon Tara, but also the way that Tara internalizes those views. It is all the more inspiring then, when Rao reveals how Tara can slowly come to understand her own worth, and eventually act upon it.
In addition, I'd like to note the very believable effects on Tara of the fact that her parents basically abandoned her to the care of her grandparents for several years. My mother had this happen to her, too, and the experience can seriously hinder a person's ability to believe in herself. I was so happy to see Tara finally overcome this.
In addition, I'd like to note the very believable effects on Tara of the fact that her parents basically abandoned her to the care of her grandparents for several years. My mother had this happen to her, too, and the experience can seriously hinder a person's ability to believe in herself. I was so happy to see Tara finally overcome this.
September 13, 2020
"Like the purple lotus, rarest of rare, you shall rise from muddy waters to rule the world" -
This is a perfect summary for the book and a beautiful apt title!
Purple lotus is the story of Tara, an Indian immigrant who moves to Atlanta to live with her husband of three years for the first time, where she faces both physical and mental abuse. She fights through her circumstances with real grit and finds her sunshine and self-worth in her life after major struggle. My heart wept for her when she went back to her abusive husband simply because it would make her parents happy and would meet society’s expectations.
Her struggle to stay within societal expectations in a patriarchal society and finding something passionate in her life is depicted beautifully. She develops a support system who were truly godsend as they help her in getting out of the abusive marriage. The book depicts dual timelines - Tara’s present and her past where we find out how Tara was abandoned by her own family when she was only a child. Being abandoned by her husband hits harder as it seems like her past that is repeating for her. Truly, life is a vicious circle as she finds a doll that she lost as a kid now after all these years and it symbolizes her self-discovery in life.
Her husband Sanjay was easily one of the characters that I hated right away and the way he treated his wife is beyond horrible. I wish she had made him pay for all the torture. I loved all the food references as they made me nostalgic for Karnataka. My husband recently introduced me to the ice cream sundae - “gadbad” and being reminded of it, I am seriously craving for it now! On another note, Tara is definitely a character I won’t be able to forget for a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!
This is a perfect summary for the book and a beautiful apt title!
Purple lotus is the story of Tara, an Indian immigrant who moves to Atlanta to live with her husband of three years for the first time, where she faces both physical and mental abuse. She fights through her circumstances with real grit and finds her sunshine and self-worth in her life after major struggle. My heart wept for her when she went back to her abusive husband simply because it would make her parents happy and would meet society’s expectations.
Her struggle to stay within societal expectations in a patriarchal society and finding something passionate in her life is depicted beautifully. She develops a support system who were truly godsend as they help her in getting out of the abusive marriage. The book depicts dual timelines - Tara’s present and her past where we find out how Tara was abandoned by her own family when she was only a child. Being abandoned by her husband hits harder as it seems like her past that is repeating for her. Truly, life is a vicious circle as she finds a doll that she lost as a kid now after all these years and it symbolizes her self-discovery in life.
Her husband Sanjay was easily one of the characters that I hated right away and the way he treated his wife is beyond horrible. I wish she had made him pay for all the torture. I loved all the food references as they made me nostalgic for Karnataka. My husband recently introduced me to the ice cream sundae - “gadbad” and being reminded of it, I am seriously craving for it now! On another note, Tara is definitely a character I won’t be able to forget for a long time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!
September 9, 2020
Like the purple lotus, rarest of rare, you shall rise from muddy waters to rule the world"
.
Purple Lotus by Veena Rao.@veenarao
.
The plot revolves around our female protagonist Tara. When Tara was a little girl her parents left her to her grandparents’ house with a schizophrenic uncle and moved to Dubai with their newly born son for a better life. Tara as a little girl craved for parental love and struggled with her bottle up feelings.
.
Later in her life when she grew up she faced constant societal pressure, being 28 not married and not even beautiful. In a hurry her parents marries her with a man in US.While the guy abandons her for three years right after marriage but soon as she lands in US , Tara faces domestic abuses, neglect, ignored. Little did she know her husband was having affair with someone else.
.
What shocked me was in such abusive relationship, her parents asked her to compromise and stay with the husband.. It is how Tara got her inner strength, fought back and lived the way she wanted to live and not how others wanted her to do.
.
What I loved about the book is the overwhelming usage of simple english making the reading appealing, while portraying the old fashion mind-set of the Indian society.. It has beautifully portrayed the cultural differences and Tara’s lonely years in US , which destroyed her self-worthiness.. This cultural reference reminds me of Jhumpa Lahiri's style, were she explores expatriate Indian in America, The insight of Tara’s disturb life, domestic abuse and coming out and facing the situation and settling back to new life was flawlessly explored by the author, making the book feel so real. The ending was perfect, you cannot have anything better than this.
.
Purple Lotus by Veena Rao.@veenarao
.
The plot revolves around our female protagonist Tara. When Tara was a little girl her parents left her to her grandparents’ house with a schizophrenic uncle and moved to Dubai with their newly born son for a better life. Tara as a little girl craved for parental love and struggled with her bottle up feelings.
.
Later in her life when she grew up she faced constant societal pressure, being 28 not married and not even beautiful. In a hurry her parents marries her with a man in US.While the guy abandons her for three years right after marriage but soon as she lands in US , Tara faces domestic abuses, neglect, ignored. Little did she know her husband was having affair with someone else.
.
What shocked me was in such abusive relationship, her parents asked her to compromise and stay with the husband.. It is how Tara got her inner strength, fought back and lived the way she wanted to live and not how others wanted her to do.
.
What I loved about the book is the overwhelming usage of simple english making the reading appealing, while portraying the old fashion mind-set of the Indian society.. It has beautifully portrayed the cultural differences and Tara’s lonely years in US , which destroyed her self-worthiness.. This cultural reference reminds me of Jhumpa Lahiri's style, were she explores expatriate Indian in America, The insight of Tara’s disturb life, domestic abuse and coming out and facing the situation and settling back to new life was flawlessly explored by the author, making the book feel so real. The ending was perfect, you cannot have anything better than this.
December 1, 2025
I imagine a lot of women can relate to Tara’s struggles — and hopefully to her triumphs. In many ways, the world of Purple Lotus feels unbearably realistic. Her family members and husband are determined to keep her in a state of abuse made worse by her childhood trauma. Her only advocates — the only people in her life who care about her happiness — are her friends.
If you haven’t been Tara, you’ve definitely met her and her family:
-The parents who abandon her, yet chastise her that she must remain with her abusive husband.
-Her schizophrenic uncle, who goes from being quite sweet to endangering her very life.
-Her mostly-kind, traditional, neglectful grandparents.
-Her hypocritical, abusive, philandering, gaslighting, neglectful first husband.
-The enthusiastic younger generations who admire Tara’s journey.
Rao excels at firsthand descriptions of the the dynamics, lbetween the many, many religious sects.— she managed to cover mental health (therefore healthcare), primogeniture, sexism, intergenerational conflict — you name it, she shows it.
I wish Rao had given a nod to the ways in which the government in India has attempted to create a pluralistic society — banning the caste system and dowries, for example — but many regard discrimination and tradition as being exempt from and superior to laws that had existed for decades. But perhaps the law is so irrelevant that it isn’t worth mentioning.
Tara’s awful relationship with Sanjay is nuanced, and more convincing for it. He refuses the dowry and seems more-or-less like a modern , desirable man. He abandons Tara for 3 years, and she struggles to find a way to make him like her, or even notice her. This usually means fawning — either apologizing when she’s done nothing wrong or trying to “seduce” him after fights. The abuse ramps up over the years, and Tara’s mother encourages Tara to improve herself to earn Sanjay’s love — a Sisyphean task. The boulder of abuse flattens Tara for much of the story.
Sanjay aside, Atlanta seems like a paradise in comparison to Mangalore/India. That said, it got kind of annoying to see the Bush-era U.S. portrayed as an irreproachable oasis of civil rights in the desert of Tara’s life. Instead, she’s only afraid on 9/11, and that day is mostly significant because of the impact it has on her marriage. Tara is a journalist and Sanjay is addicted to CNN. It’s absolutely bizarre that there’s no mention of war, politics, paranoia, hate crimes, and other insanity that typified that era. It really feels like a false binary of “U.S. GOOD, India BAD.” I doubt this is the author’s intention, but it definitely felt this way at times.
Most of the major flaws in story occur in the latter half of the book — when Tara ventures out on her own and finds the life she deserves. I should have been cheering along with her, but I just grew more and more annoyed by how many major events were summarized rather than elaborated upon, and by Cyrus the Cypher.
Tara resurrects her writing career in a matter of paragraphs — and honestly, there should have been more flashbacks dealing with her academic and journalistic endeavors. Same with falling in love with Cyrus. It almost felt like Rao was in a rush to turn in a final exam so she added a few sentences to the story’s outline and submitted it as-is. It’s also annoying that so many of her life events are driven by other people.
She sits in a mall and a photographer just happens to spot her and ask her to pose for an ad campaign. Seriously? It would have been so much more rewarding if, for example, she met a photographer while applying for a job at a newspaper, or if she responded to being called a “Hijra” by auditioning herself. Yes, occasionally we meet people and they change our lives, but this is a story about a woman finding her strength and defying the awful people in her life. Considering the later significance of the ad, I would have preferred for her to play a more active role than merely saying “yes” again and enduring something that fell solidly outside her comfort zone.
She sits down in a church and just happens to meet a woman who helps DV survivors. Presumably Jesus sent her, because there are low-key “Christians GOOD, Hindus BAD” vibes that are also probably unintentional.
And of course Cyrus, who just happens to be obsessed with a teenage girl he met decades ago and just happens to be in a city where he just happens to see her ad campaign. He seeks out her email. And … isn’t a psychopath? Is in fact so revoltingly perfect and so devoted her that he stops being interesting by their second date?
Nothing felt very high stakes at this point. I understand that Tara is paranoid, not just because of Sanjay’s infidelity, but because she actually has something to lose. But I could tell where it was headed — everything wrapped up so neatly. No lingering resentments. Sanjay and his mostly-unseen family disappear. Her own family sees the error of their ways, apologize, and stand up for her. Oh, and a letter at the end to summarize the point of the story.
Caveats: the prose can be stilted at times and is chock full of clichés — like you can’t read more than 2 paragraphs before encountering one. “Clammy hands,” “her life was falling apart” — I realize this sounds petty, and these are common sayings. But I really found it distracting.
Rao also has a tendency to provide Cliff’s Notes regarding character development.
“No one would comprehend how much of a personal hurdle she had crossed.”
“They were self-improvement exercises that uplifted her sagging self-esteem.”
I recently DNF a book due to its “tell, don’t show” approach. This book has the same problem, but not to the same degree. I realize the challenge of using the third-person limited approach to a character who is so often silenced, but I did not need to have every single emotion listed. There are also several scenes when Tara doesn’t know why she feels a certain way, followed by “was it because __? Or because __?” Yes, she endures constant gaslighting, is therefore unsure of herself, and therefore unsure of her emotions. But these words add nothing to the story. I’d rather see them all cut and have more detail about Tara resurrecting her passion for writing. It’s far more impressive that she found her voice than that Cyrus found her.
If you haven’t been Tara, you’ve definitely met her and her family:
-The parents who abandon her, yet chastise her that she must remain with her abusive husband.
-Her schizophrenic uncle, who goes from being quite sweet to endangering her very life.
-Her mostly-kind, traditional, neglectful grandparents.
-Her hypocritical, abusive, philandering, gaslighting, neglectful first husband.
-The enthusiastic younger generations who admire Tara’s journey.
Rao excels at firsthand descriptions of the the dynamics, lbetween the many, many religious sects.— she managed to cover mental health (therefore healthcare), primogeniture, sexism, intergenerational conflict — you name it, she shows it.
I wish Rao had given a nod to the ways in which the government in India has attempted to create a pluralistic society — banning the caste system and dowries, for example — but many regard discrimination and tradition as being exempt from and superior to laws that had existed for decades. But perhaps the law is so irrelevant that it isn’t worth mentioning.
Tara’s awful relationship with Sanjay is nuanced, and more convincing for it. He refuses the dowry and seems more-or-less like a modern , desirable man. He abandons Tara for 3 years, and she struggles to find a way to make him like her, or even notice her. This usually means fawning — either apologizing when she’s done nothing wrong or trying to “seduce” him after fights. The abuse ramps up over the years, and Tara’s mother encourages Tara to improve herself to earn Sanjay’s love — a Sisyphean task. The boulder of abuse flattens Tara for much of the story.
Sanjay aside, Atlanta seems like a paradise in comparison to Mangalore/India. That said, it got kind of annoying to see the Bush-era U.S. portrayed as an irreproachable oasis of civil rights in the desert of Tara’s life. Instead, she’s only afraid on 9/11, and that day is mostly significant because of the impact it has on her marriage. Tara is a journalist and Sanjay is addicted to CNN. It’s absolutely bizarre that there’s no mention of war, politics, paranoia, hate crimes, and other insanity that typified that era. It really feels like a false binary of “U.S. GOOD, India BAD.” I doubt this is the author’s intention, but it definitely felt this way at times.
Most of the major flaws in story occur in the latter half of the book — when Tara ventures out on her own and finds the life she deserves. I should have been cheering along with her, but I just grew more and more annoyed by how many major events were summarized rather than elaborated upon, and by Cyrus the Cypher.
Tara resurrects her writing career in a matter of paragraphs — and honestly, there should have been more flashbacks dealing with her academic and journalistic endeavors. Same with falling in love with Cyrus. It almost felt like Rao was in a rush to turn in a final exam so she added a few sentences to the story’s outline and submitted it as-is. It’s also annoying that so many of her life events are driven by other people.
She sits in a mall and a photographer just happens to spot her and ask her to pose for an ad campaign. Seriously? It would have been so much more rewarding if, for example, she met a photographer while applying for a job at a newspaper, or if she responded to being called a “Hijra” by auditioning herself. Yes, occasionally we meet people and they change our lives, but this is a story about a woman finding her strength and defying the awful people in her life. Considering the later significance of the ad, I would have preferred for her to play a more active role than merely saying “yes” again and enduring something that fell solidly outside her comfort zone.
She sits down in a church and just happens to meet a woman who helps DV survivors. Presumably Jesus sent her, because there are low-key “Christians GOOD, Hindus BAD” vibes that are also probably unintentional.
And of course Cyrus, who just happens to be obsessed with a teenage girl he met decades ago and just happens to be in a city where he just happens to see her ad campaign. He seeks out her email. And … isn’t a psychopath? Is in fact so revoltingly perfect and so devoted her that he stops being interesting by their second date?
Nothing felt very high stakes at this point. I understand that Tara is paranoid, not just because of Sanjay’s infidelity, but because she actually has something to lose. But I could tell where it was headed — everything wrapped up so neatly. No lingering resentments. Sanjay and his mostly-unseen family disappear. Her own family sees the error of their ways, apologize, and stand up for her. Oh, and a letter at the end to summarize the point of the story.
Caveats: the prose can be stilted at times and is chock full of clichés — like you can’t read more than 2 paragraphs before encountering one. “Clammy hands,” “her life was falling apart” — I realize this sounds petty, and these are common sayings. But I really found it distracting.
Rao also has a tendency to provide Cliff’s Notes regarding character development.
“No one would comprehend how much of a personal hurdle she had crossed.”
“They were self-improvement exercises that uplifted her sagging self-esteem.”
I recently DNF a book due to its “tell, don’t show” approach. This book has the same problem, but not to the same degree. I realize the challenge of using the third-person limited approach to a character who is so often silenced, but I did not need to have every single emotion listed. There are also several scenes when Tara doesn’t know why she feels a certain way, followed by “was it because __? Or because __?” Yes, she endures constant gaslighting, is therefore unsure of herself, and therefore unsure of her emotions. But these words add nothing to the story. I’d rather see them all cut and have more detail about Tara resurrecting her passion for writing. It’s far more impressive that she found her voice than that Cyrus found her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 16, 2020I thoroughly enjoyed reading Purple Lotus. The author weaves a lovely story that follows a girl, Tara, from her youth in India to her adulthood in America. At times poignant and at other times bubbling over with joy, the journey through the challenges and triumphs in Tara's life is worth the roller coaster of a read. Author Veena Rao's writing is imbued with nuances that truly get to the heart of emotions, expressions of self, and relationships with not only the family she was born into, but also the family she chooses. I have enjoyed several books by Indian-American female writers, and I recognized some of similarities in the immigration circumstances and experiences. But in this book, the focus is on one female and her own unique situation and experiences. The picture painted of Tara's journey is complex: sometimes the edges are jagged and sharp, where emotional pain and heartbreak are painfully depicted. Yet joy and success also make appearances throughout, giving us hope for our heroine.
If have already recommended Veena's Rao's debut novel to several friends, and my book club will be reading it this fall.
If have already recommended Veena's Rao's debut novel to several friends, and my book club will be reading it this fall.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews