The Girl in the Garden

by Kamala Nair

The redemptive journey of a young woman unsure of her engagement, who revisits in memory the events of one scorching childhood summer when her beautiful yet troubled mother spirits her away from her home to an Indian village untouched by time, where she discovers in the jungle behind her ancestral house a spellbinding garden that harbors a terrifying secret.

Genres: Fiction, India, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Book Club, Contemporary

305 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Raised in Rochester, MN, Kamala is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she received a B.A. in English. She went on to earn an M.Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, and is the recipient of a MacDowell fellowship. A New Yorker at heart (where she spent most of her life), she now lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still reeling from the ending of this... Wow. I seen some of it coming, but not all of it.

This is a tale about a ten year old Indian American girl whose troubled mother takes her back to India for one summer. Secrets begin to unveil... Her uncle owns the hospital but why does he cater to another man? Why is her mother always crying? What is going on between her mother and the man named Prem? There's a history there and the adults keep trying to hide something..

And then there is the garden. Is there really a child eating monster lady behind the walls, in the forest?

When Rakhee climbs the wall, she makes a shocking discovery and besides uncovering a ton of secrets that reveal an incredibly repulsive family, she learns a valuable lesson, that physical appearance is not what makes one beautiful.

Despite the fact I have an ARC, I wish to quote here, "The first time I saw her I had been shocked and revolted, but the more I got to know Tulasi, the more her looks ceased to matter. In fact, I hardly noticed her deformities anymore. A teacher at school had once told our class, 'Looks don't really matter, it's what's on the inside that counts," and I had scoffed at her.... But since meeting Tulasi, I understood for the first time what my teacher had meant. Tulasi was the most beautiful person I had ever seen..."

A good story, an excellent debut. I'm greatly impressed. The only reason I give it a four instead of a five is that it was a bit slow going at first. The good stuff doesn't really start till the book reaches the halfway point.

However, I recommend it.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now a newly engaged adult, Rakhee remains haunted by the events of her one summer in India. The novel tells the story of that summer in a long letter written to her fiancee, explaining why she must defer their engagement. Until she confronts her past, she cannot face her future. What happened that summer?

One of these days, I would really love to read a novel set in the Indian subcontinent or with first generation desi folk and not have it be almost entirely depressing. Sure, times are hard there, but there must be some books where no characters commit suicide by jumping into a well. I mean, there just have to be.

I did like this much better than Tiger Hills, but, be warned, its still very sad. Pretty much the only part that isn't completely depressing is the epilogue. Reading both of these novels, I get the idea of just how much family history can haunt people. The mistakes of the previous generation snowball into even worse mistakes by the next. Also, never try to marry your daughter off to an awkward, stuttering creeper, because it never ends well.

The Girl in the Garden confronts tough issues, like depression, arranged marriage, pregnancy and divorce. These issues are dealt with well for the most part, not hitting the reader over the head with an agenda. Through Rakhee, it is clear that issues of childhood take a long time to get over (so true), but that it is important to get closure before trying to be a real person, so that you can close the cycle.

The plot twists were pretty much all things I saw coming from many miles away. There really was no other way things were going to go. There is one twist that I swear was not revealed but must be the case. I rather wish I could talk with someone else who read the book so that they could tell me if I'm crazy or not; all I can say is that it involves Prem.

Overall, this wasn't a book I particularly enjoyed, but, for those who enjoy tragic family stories, this is quite well done.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that sure ended with a flurry of revelations. A soon to be married woman decides to repair the past she left behind in India. A proud family of deep secrets and more than their share of sorrows are revealed as she recounts why she must return to India before she starts her new life, stateside. One summer vacation in her 11th year had such a profound embedding that it forever changed her life and all those that shared it with her.

[Sujata Massey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books about NRIs returning to their family roots in India often are accused of focusing on how alienated the protagonist feels and how little they understand their roots. On the outside, that's how THE GIRL IN THE GARDEN seems it will turn out; but it turns the table on expectations and is an absolutely suspenseful, compelling read.

The novel starts with Rakhee, a US-born 11 year old girl visiting Kerala for the first time with her troubled young mother. Rakhee doesn't want to be there at all because it means leaving her father behind in Minnesota. Instantly we are involved in a realistic Hindu joint family living in a great old house near a village, where the family secrets begin to encircle her like vines. The young heroine finds a secret garden that will enthrall anyone who liked THE SECRET GARDEN, yet she struggles with missing her father. He doesn't know the mother is becoming tempted by an old romantic involvement, and the daughter understandably wants it to stop; to go back to her old, safe life. The lives of Rakhee's relatives, who include ayurvedic doctors, a fragile grandmother, tough aunt and lively cousin-sisters, are well explored.I particularly liked how the author, Kamala Nair, wove an old legend about a yekshi (ghost) who lives in a well with the present storyline.

I have noticed a theme in several novels of troubled Indian mothers escaping to Kerala. Look at THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy; and way back in the 1950's, DAUGHTER OF THE HOUSE by Santha Rama Rau--who is rarely mentioned as a literary figure today, but was a great writer in the post-independence India. Perhaps something about Kerala is welcoming for women who want to live a Sadhu-like existence! I'm certainly not immune to the temptation to stay longer in Kerala each time I go there to visit. I am looking forward to this author's next book--hope it's set in India.

[Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rakhee Singh had it all. She'll soon be graduating from Yale's, and starting a promising job. She has a wonderful family and is engaged to the man she loves. But she has a secret - something that still bothers her, something that happened when she was eleven and on her very first trip to India with her mother. Since then, her parents had separated and the events of that summer forever hung like a shroud over her. The Girl in the Garden is the story of that summer and Rakhee's subsequent efforts to come to terms with that event.

There really wasn't anything I knew about this book on accepting it, except that it features a garden (duh, title!) and was set in India. That was a big risk for me, but this year, I had challenged my reading tastes so much, that I knew I would welcome the risk. Moreover, I recognized the author's surname to be from my home state, and that made me a bit giddy with excitement. I didn't know yet where exactly it was set in India, but that was soon revealed in the second chapter (Kerala).

I usually shy away from reading books set in India, because I typically have plenty of issues with them, irrespective of who the author is. Mostly, the customs almost always feel as if viewed by a non-Indian, even when the protagonist was Indian or of Indian origin, or the language is a caricature in itself as if all Indians spoke a funny English. And sometimes, when the setting was very rural India, the conversations in English feel very fake (although I can't think of a way around this). On that note, I thought Rakhee's world in Kerala was almost authentic. Although I did have some issues with the portrayal here (I'll get to that), for the most part, I could sync well with the characters.

Rakhee, as the eleven year old girl, was very charming and believable. We don't really see much of her in the present for her to make an impression. The culture shock she experienced on the first trip to India, the easy way in which her mother had settled down causing Rakhee to feel as if she couldn't connect with her mother at all, her cautious excitement on seeing so many people who look more like her than she had ever seen in the US. (I remember my five year old niece, who stays in LA, a place she loves, was absolutely exalted and exuberant when she landed in India and saw all these people who looked like her, so this is something I understand as significant from a child's perspective.) I appreciated that the author played all these elements very well - the curiosity of exploring a new place, the automatic bravery that a child feels contrasted with the fear that creeps in when meeting certain not-so-nice adults. I also loved how the author used "Indian English" (most of the words are what Indians typically use as opposed to their American version).

Rakhee was a typical first generation American kid. She was having trouble fitting in at school. She rarely got invitations to parties at the homes of her classmates, she mostly kept to herself. Her father was a hard-working doctor, her mother worked part-time at a store. One day, her mother gets a strange letter all the way from India. Rakhee is intrigued by it, but doesn't get any answers. That letter however sets the motion for the trip to India.

I, however, found Rakhee's character very inconsistent. My understanding was that her knowledge of the local language was decent, which made me wonder how she followed most conversations. I can say for sure that not many people (esp in rural villages) will speak English. There were times when she expressed her inability to understand but most times, she didn't have any trouble following. There was also some amount of repetition - not consistent enough for me to attribute it to a very young character, but often enough for it to feel jarring. I guess that was probably for the benefit of remembering what some Malayalam (Kerala's language) words or customs mean.

Another issue I had was how conveniently a lot of the adults seem to be spilling out their inner fears and desires to Rakhee. Now, I have to say that this is not a strange thing at all, at least from where I come. I grew up on a very delicious amount of adult gossips and even before I was 15, I already knew the secret tales of half the family and most of the neighbors. While the adults do shush around kids, that lasts for about 5 minutes. Serious! So I didn't think this was out of the ordinary - Rakhee listening to a lot of stuff. I just couldn't fathom why any of the adults would pool out their troubles on her plate (other than for moving the story along).

The Girl in the Garden, being a story of a world seen by an eleven-year old, has plenty of references of mythic gods and goddesses, ghosts and devils. While Rakhee sensed that most or all of those were just tales, she was still fascinated by them. The story of the devil who stayed in the garden behind their house, scared her the most, but she was also curious enough to want to explore. And that's what actually starts the main plot in the book, when she meets a certain someone out there. I enjoyed this part of the story, though I found a lot of the events very unrealistic. I could however say that the author chose a dreamy, fairy-tale-ish manner to portray something that actually happens in a very dark manner (those who read this book would understand this convoluted sentence I just wrote).

Overall, I recommend this book, especially because I enjoyed the cultural references. The story didn't make much of an impression on me, but the characters were wonderful, especially the younger ones. Most of the older ones seemed too selfish, too self-centered, but every kid thinks that. I thought the mystery in the book had a nice twist to it, but in the end, it felt like a long convoluted mystery. But then that's very true of a lot families. We still pay for the actions of some of our ancestors. In the end, this book covered plenty of themes, was a very fast read and I also happened to find it hard to put it down.

[Michela De Bartolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Rossi come rubini , i fiori dell’albero Ashoka splendevano sopra di me e la luce che emanavano ci scaldava il volto “ . Non mi aspettavo un libro così pieno di mistero . Rapita dalle sue pagine e dalla bambina . La protagonista infatti è una bambina di 11 anni che attraverso la sua curiosità e perspicacia mi ha trasportato nella sua famiglia . Ho incontrato il suo papà Aba un medico scrupoloso e dedito al lavoro, molto buono . La sua mamma Amma vittima del male oscuro che è la depressione, ma soprattutto vittima di una famiglia e delle tradizioni da cui ha osato ribellarsi . Ho viaggiato e visitato L’ India ho scoperto le loro abitudini , i loro costumi e i loro sapori. I luoghi magici di questa meravigliosa terra , dove mi sono lasciata incantare dal paesaggio completamente naturale , tutto descritto non solo a parole ma da reali sensazioni . Tanti misteri avvolgono la vita di Rakhee e della sua mamma , che alla fine verranno in parte svelati ed altri ,piacevolmente , irrisolti , da dare così libera interpretazione al lettore .

[Laura de Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, thoughtful story that occasionally nudges towards melodrama, but never quite gets there.

Kamala Nair follows in the footsteps of Jhumpa Lahiri with this beautifully written story of the child of Indian immigrants, but she also shows other influences-- I loved the echoes of The Secret Garden.

The book begins with a letter from the adult Rakhee to her fiance. For the reader, it simply sets up questions. There aren't many answers for her fiance either.

The story really gets started with the second chapter. Rakhee remembers back to a key time in her childhood. She is in 5th grade in Plainfield, Minnesota, where she doesn't quite fit in with her classmates. Again, this section is largely setup, but it is already building a compelling picture of her life, of who her parents are, and how that has shaped who she is.

Then, as Rakhee and her mother arrive in India, a whole knew world is introduced. This was a different view of India than I've seen before, a more rural India. The challenges Rakhee faces are both familiar (dealing with a grandmother she remembers meeting before, but who has aged badly since then) and the exotic(stories of a monster from Indian folklore that lives in the forest and must be avoided).

Rakhee is quickly drawn into the tangled affairs of her family, issues she is too young to deal with, and that her mother makes a small effort to hide from her.

The story is narrated by an adult Rakhee telling the story of her younger self, so the viewpoint is an interesting mix of the naivete of the child, with occasional insight from the adult Rakhee.

As the summer goes on, Rakhee discovers the secret in the garden in the forest, and much later the secret behind the secret in the garden. Her aunts and cousins face life altering decisions, as does her mother, and eventually Rakhee herself.

As I referred to in the beginning, this tangled web of problems sometimes brushes against the edge of believable, looking like it might head towards the ridiculous. It isn't any one person or situation, but the combination of them. The Girl in the Garden doesn't cross that line, probably due to the strength of the writing and the characters.

[Alayne Bushey · Rating 3 out of 5]

For most of her life Rakhee has locked away a summer of her childhood spent in the hot, dry climate of India. Having harbored this secret from her fiance, The Girl in the Garden is Rakhee’s letter to him as she leaves to confront her past and the lives that intertwine with her own back in India. Deep in the forest behind her ancestral home, a garden with a dark mystery lies shrouded under a canopy of foliage. We are transported to Rakhee’s childhood and the summer she discovered the garden in Kamala Nair’s debut novel.

For a debut, The Girl in the Garden is fairly accomplished, but that is mostly due to the last quarter of the novel. Everything leading up to the end is averagely lukewarm, predictable and uninspired, until Rakhee makes the decision to follow her head and heart instead of her relative’s orders. Her actions deeply affect the lives of her relatives and the novel becomes the dark and mysteriously lush tale it claims to be.

The Girl in the Garden is a swift read, but it leaves me perplexed as to how I truly feel about it. It’s enjoyable, but doesn’t leave me in awe. With one exception, I could see the plot twists coming from a mile away. The writing is fine, but again, nothing notably unique. I didn’t hate it, but I would be hard-pressed to recommend it to other readers.

[Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kamala Nair's The Girl in the Garden reads like the awkward love-child of Arundhati Roy's God of Small Things and Jhumpa Lahiri's stories of the Indian diaspora in the United States. Apparently the author's strengths didn't extend past some flowery descriptions of Kerala (which, by the way, struck me as odd, because I've been in Kerala during the monsoons which coincide exactly with summer vacation in the United States and it RAINS AND RAINS AND RAINS and there was very little mention of that fact!) because her characterizations are two-dimensional and her plot is melodrama worthy of a Hindi movie, including one final twist that makes sure the "sinful" woman doesn't get a happy ending after all. Glad I checked this out of the library so I can return it as soon as possible.

[Kathryn Bashaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It included a good mystery, which was slowly revealed to the reader at a well-controlled pace. You didn't feel cheated because it was too easy to figure out, nor was the ending a random surprise that you couldn't have seen coming - other than the final, mind-blowing shock, and once you know about it, you can even see where the hints to that were. The questions were answered very nicely in the end. I thought some of the characters' motivations were a little bit of a stretch, even in a tradition-bound honor society, but overall it was a very well-done portrait of how much unhappiness people are willing to both endure and to cause for others - even those they love - for the sake of saving face.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, intriguing "Secret Garden"-like novel. It was easy to read and kept me interested with several unexpected twists. For once I appreciated the Epilogue, which gave the reader just enough more to tie up some loose ends, but not ruin the intrigue completely by settling everything.

[Purnima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Kamala Nair's characters & portrayals of relationships took me by surprise! I'm extremely close to my maternal & paternal cousins & could relate to the bonding between cousins in this story. Definitely a book I will reread!!

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I would normally reed, but enjoyed it also.

[CoffeeBook Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always a pleasant surprise to settle down with a book that you think could be a good story, and to be rewarded as a reader for the very faith that you presented it with.

While The Girl in the Garden begins with Rakhee immediately traveling for the second time in her life to India from America, leaving behind the ring her future husband gave her, the rest of the book is a flashback to one summer when Rakhee was only eleven-years-old. It was the very first time she had ever visited India with her mother, which was also the first time she met her extended family. It is a summer of secrets and betrayal. Families do come with burdens and unspoken truths, but the ones Rakhee learns in that one summer are more than she could ever have dreamed of. Or feared. But it is something that she must resolve before she can get married.

Rakhee is eleven who has lived her whole life in Minnesota. While her parents love her and provide a good home, Rakhee doesn't "fit" with her classmates and is never included in anything. She may have her mother and her father, and a devoted dog named Merlin, but she doesn't have any friends.

Her mother, a beautiful and sad woman, receives a curious letter in the mail, stamped with overseas postage. The contents of the letter aren't shared with Rakhee, but she is forced to fly to India with her mother for the summer. Once arriving in humid and hectic India, Rakhee again finds herself uncomfortable - she doesn't fit here either, at least at first. Settling into the routines of life in a foreign land, Rakhee's cousins are there to help her along, and provide her the very thing she's been craving - friendship.

But this is so much more than simply a story about family - there is a secret behind the house in which her mother grew up. A secret of evil that her cousins have always been warned about. Children tend to be curious and defy the orders of their parents, but Rakhee's cousins have never done so - they've been told they shouldn't go over the wall that separates their house from this evil, and so they haven't. But with bravado, innocence, or by accident, Rakhee finds herself over the wall and curiously walking through the woods. What she finds there becomes magical, or real, but ultimately becomes the summer that seals all of their fates and reveals the truth behind the secrets that her mother's family have always kept.

At once beautiful and strong, Kamala Nair delivers a story in which the very beauty of it is layered in its web of characters, culture, and secrets amidst the oppressive heat of India. There is almost a lyrical sound to the words on the page, and many times I found myself reading aloud, to see if I could capture the music. I love it when a book makes me do that. I felt the humidity of India, and especially young Rakhee's confusion as the lies of her family swirled around her, and I also could easily feel the injustice and frustration of being young and always being told that you're just not old enough to know the truth. Such a helpless feeling. But will finding the answer to a years kept secret ever make you feel better?

There is nothing but surprise when each secret is revealed. I held my breath as it unfolded.

I look forward to more from Kamala Nair. Fans of Lisa See, who enjoy cultural ties in fiction, will enjoy this book. Throw in the mystery behind it all, and you've also got a good one for your book club.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Garden is as far as I can tell is the first novel by Kamala Nair which is surprising because it's rendered with the restraint and grace that many novelists only develop later in their career. The plot begins with Rahkee on the verge of her engagement as she recollects a summer she spent in India with her mom and her Indian Relations. Eleven year old Rahkee spends the first part of the trip contrasting India and her hometown of Plainfield, Minnesota, bonding with her cousins, and fiercely missing her father. When her mother starts acting strangely, her amateur investigations lead her to a family secret that will have tremendous implications for everyone she loves.

Rahkee is a smart and unbelievably mature young lady. Her actions not only defy reason but ensure great personal consequences that only the bravest of characters would make. She's almost too rational. The first of many illogical elements a reader must wrestle with before surrendering to the magic of Nair's tale. And The Girl in the Garden is most definitely a modern fairy tale. The novel will undoubtedly draw comparisons to The Secret Garden due to the similarities in tone and plot. It also nods to it's mythic roots by weaving the Indian epic of Rama and Sita from the Ramayana into its narrative.

Though the book is touted as terrifying, I found it more melancholy. It incorporates the clash of many themes ie, the difficult relationship between Rakhee and her mother with the traditional familial dynamic of India, science with the supernatural, love with obsession, etc... For a short novel it covers a lot of material, no doubt due to the large page count of exposition which Nair slowly builds, and then unravels in pages. And so novel does manage to hold tension throughout the story and yield multiple surprises. The Girl in the Garden is a spell binding work which captures the imagination of it's audience. Recommended.

[AudioBookFans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at http://www.audiobookfans.com

My Review: I love when audiobooks surprise me, and The Girl in the Garden definitely did. Kamala Nair’s debut novel follows the dark family history of Rakhee Singh. The story begins as Rakhee removes her engagement ring and starts to write to her fiancee. She believes he needs to know the truth, but in actuality, Rakhee needs to let someone into her life, into the darkness of her family’s past.

Rakhee knows something is not right between her parents, Amma and Aba. Amma had been receiving letters from India and Rakhee would hear her crying alone after receiving them. What did the letters say? Who were they from? What could they possibly say to make Amma cry so much?

Once school was out for the year, Rakhee’s mother whisked her away to India to visit their family. Although she’s upset to leave Aba behind in Minnesota, she immediately clicks with her cousins, especially Krishna. They spend most of that summer playing, planning a play and being normal children. But when Rakhee wonders into the mysterious garden, she uncovers dark family secrets that have been tucked away for over 15 years. She keeps her adventures to the garden to herself, knowing that if she tells anyone, her family would never forgive her for disobeying them. The garden is off limits to the outside world and only a handful know what lies behind the vine covered stone wall.

This novel kept me on the edge of my seat constantly wondering what would happen next and what could be so awful to be hidden in the garden. Nair does a wonderful job of weaving history, suspense, family dynamics and mystery into her novel. I hope to see more from her in the future!

Narrator Review: Anitha Gandi has a beautiful voice! She kept the characters distinct and true to their Indian dialect. Her youthful sounds made the children’s dialog more alive and painted vivid picture of Rakhee and her family.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

We were on vacation in Vegas and I forgot my book. This was the only non-shades of grey option in the gift shop so I decided to give it a shot. It was..well, probably better than my other options.

It was a quick read that held my attention but I didn't find it super riveting. If anything it was somewhat predictable. The Elle review on the back promised a "harrowing perspective on women's ever-changing cultural and social roles." Sure, there's some gender stuff, but Elle sort of over promised. Solid gift shop pick up for Vegas but if you're at an actual book store with more options you might want to continue your search.

[Aunt Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want this book to end.😍

[Federica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stelline

Un romanzo che mi ha sorpreso, mi ha trasportata nell'India legata alle tradizioni, al proprio orgoglio che mette al primo posto la famiglia. Ad ogni costo.

Una storia che affonda le radici in un passato che per tanto tempo è stato tenuto nascosto, un passato pesante che incombe sulle vite di tante persone.

Ho adorato questo romanzo, ho adorato come sia riuscito a far emergere alcune tradizioni dell'India, come per esempio i matrimoni combinati, mostrando anche le conseguenze e l'impatto che hanno sulle persone.

Ho amato il complicato rapporto madre-figlia che viene raccontato, in maniera diretta senza troppi fronzoli, in modo graffiante e profondo.

La narrazione è scorrevole, coinvolgente e non perde mai la presa sul lettore. Riesce con mistero e curiosità a tenere incollati alle pagine.

[bethany rose badoux · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book tackles a variety of themes. namely, what it is to be an American child and what it is to be an Indian woman and the transition between those two phases of life. the many, typical questions of adolescence arise in this novel along with the issues of misogyny, religious beliefs, romance, friendship, and family pride. these heavy stresses are viewed through the eyes of an 11 year old stuck in a tough spot when it comes to loyalty and trust among her family members. her family's dark secret of the garden is lightened with her childish spirit and goofy antics that conjure a sense of nostalgia most only dream of. accompanying rakhee on her journey full of silly play and vital decisions was definitely worth the read.

[Renu Ruggiero · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea was great but the story telling was a little monotonous and slow to pick up. The interesting bits were squeezed into the final few chapters of the book.

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un po' lenta la narrazione iniziale per poi arrivare ad un epilogo con molti colpi di scena. Consigliato.

[Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was actually rather reticent about appreciating this book for the first 100 pages; then things got really interesting and cascaded towards a very dramatic conclusion. A family drama, replete with elements of the supernatural, hidden family secrets abound, a young narrative voice that teeters between naivete and the thirst for answers not readily provided by the adults in the story.

[Karen Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who have wondered how old is too old to be fascinated by fairy tales, Kamala Nair has answered that question in her debut novel, The Girl in the Garden. The answer? There is no such thing as too old.

This beautifully written story is filled with intriguing characters, hints of mystery, and sprinklings of magic, that will touch any reader’s heart as a young girl – struggling to save her parents’ shaky marriage – sets out to unlock the family secret that she senses hangs over everyone’s head and affects all of their lives.

As the book opens, we meet a twenty-something Rakhee Singh who is just two weeks away from obtaining her masters degree in Architecture from Yale University, about to join a prestigious design firm in New York City, and has recently become engaged. But Rakhee feels there are demons in her past that must be dealt with before she can move on with her future; and since it seems, all of these demons reside in India, she decides she must go there before she can marry. As the story unfolds we learn that the trip she’s now taking has everything to do with a trip she took more than a decade earlier.

That was when Rakhee and her parents -- Amma and Aba -- lived in Plainfield, Minnesota. Amma was a fragile beauty, catered to by Aba who was 13 years her senior. At one point during Rakhee’s childhood, Amma was away at what seemed to be a rest home after a nervous breakdown. When she returned to the family home, the only thing that seemed to bring her any happiness was a small garden that Aba had built for her.

Then one day Amma receives a mysterious blue envelope in the mail, which is addressed to her in her maiden name. Amma is vague when 11-year-old Rakhee asks who sent the letter, just answering it is from a friend in India, but Rakhee notices that tears stream down her mother’s face as she reads it – and her usually somber mood changes so much that she actually begins smiling and singing around the house as more of the mysterious letters begin to arrive. But Rakhee also notices that things begin to get strained between her parents, and her father is soon sleeping in the guest room.

Still, nothing has prepared Rakhee for the shock she receives on the last day of school when her mother announces that she’s taking her to Kerala, India for the summer to visit family. Rakhee is dead-set against going, especially when she finds out that Aba will not be accompanying them, but her mother is adamant.

Once they arrive in India, Rakhee meets her grandmother, aunts, an uncle, and her three cousins -- 17-year-old Gitanjali, 13-year-old Meenu, and 11-year-old Krishna along with a mysterious man named Dev who – though is not a relative – seems to have a prominent role in the household. The adults cater to him, but Meenu confides to Rakhee that the children hate him.

In spite of herself Rakhee actually begins to enjoy her stay and the cousins; she enjoys the camaraderie, and the games, but scoffs at their superstitious belief that a Rakshasi “a hideous she-devil who feeds off the flesh of children,” lives behind the stone wall in back of the family home. However, when she looks out her bedroom window one night and sees her mother and aunt climb the barricade she remembers her cousins telling her that their mother brings offerings to the Rakshasi so it wouldn’t eat the children in their sleep, and she begins to wonder if there’s any validity to the superstition.

A few days later, she sees her mother with a childhood friend whom she introduces as Prem, and, “Anger welled up inside me, anger at Amma for ruining everything and looking at this man, this Prem, in a way I had never seen her look at Aba.” Her anger, mixed with her curiosity, draws her to the forbidden stone wall. But when she finds a wooden door in the wall and peeks through the key hole, she sees a sight that will stay with her the rest of her life.

The plot in The Girl in the Garden is somewhat predictable, but strangely enough that didn’t bother me – because, in this instance, predictable does not mean boring. That notwithstanding, the book is more than just a pleasant read, it’s destined to be a classic; a fascinating book that will hold the attention of a 14-year-old, a 28-year-old, or a 56-year-old.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “Secret Garden” this book entails much heavier subjects, such as broken marriages, illegitimacy, secret romance, family secrets, blackmail and suicide.

Young Rakhee’s mother is miserable, her parents’ marriage is falling apart, and one day her mother decides both should travel to her village in India.

Rakhee finds a family full of secrets, including the directive that she should never go to the garden/forest area behind the family home. When curiosity gets the better of her, Rakhee gradually discovers a lot of silence and darkness at the heart of her mother’s family, with much misery and duty eventually shattering the tenuous peace holding everyone together.

The characterization is good, and plot moves along well, and I particularly loved the way Rakhee was reunited with her mother and another beloved family member at the end.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rakhee Singh is about to graduate with a master’s degree from Yale School of Architecture and then begin what she hopes will be a promising career at a design firm in New York. She is also engaged to be married, but this night she is on an airplane back to India. She left her boyfriend the diamond engagement ring and the written story of why she was leaving without saying a word to him. Rakhee, in her note that was attached to story, said she couldn’t marry him until she unbound “…the demons that were under her bed” and that she could not marry him until she had “banished them.” She signed the note, left her address in India and hoped he would understand.

You see, Rakhee had pretty much led him to believe that she’d only ever been in Plainfield, Minnesota where she grew up. He had no idea whatsoever that Rakhee had spent an entire summer when she was 10 years old in Kerala-Malanad, India. Malanad was a rural village in Kerala, located at the southernmost tip of India. What occurred that summer kept me bound to the pages like a duck on water until I was done. Even though my copy is the large print version, I read all 477 pages in one sitting with only short breaks for tea!

The story that emerged the summer Rakhee was 10 will stay with me forever! I adored Rakhee, such a caring, intelligent and extremely caring and understanding girl for her age. I loved the other characters just as much, especially Tulasi and Krishna. This story reminded me so much of Rohinton Mistry’s ‘A Fine Balance’, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

The writing in “The Girl In The Garden” was brilliant, intelligent, fluid and flowed beautifully like a stone being tossed upon the water and watching the concentric circles of water teaming out one after the other. “The Girl In The Garden” could be a best book of 2011 and in my opinion, ranks right up there with ‘The Help’ and ‘The Kitchen House’. This is an unbelievable accomplishment for a “debut” novel!! Kamala Nair writes with the passion and talent of a well-seasoned author.

Thank you Kamala Nair for one of the most beautiful and entertaining stories I’ve read this year!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, going outside of your normal reading preferences takes you on an unexpectedly enjoyable adventure. Typically, a book of this description would not have grabbed me. From its back cover, The Girl in the Garden presents as a mythic story of a young girl encountering a seemingly magical garden with hidden secrets. Literally, this is all anyone can pull from the cryptic back cover. However, this was highly recommended (and even personally sent to me) by a good friend, and high recommendations are not something I can easily turn down. I set out on this journey of a novel on my own plane trip back to my own hometown, which probably added to my intrigue in getting through some of the hiccups of the slow start. Underlying the narrative of a young 10 year-old girl dragged across the planet to India by her mother and her discovery of her extended family members and ways of life, a mystery unfolds regarding her mother's past and deep, uncontrollable sadness. While it may become apparent where her mother's sadness stems from in the first few chapters of the story, the breadth of her history and implications on the rest of Rakhee's family does not make itself known until the later events of the story. The despair and tragedy permeating this family's functioning becomes heavy and real while intertwined with the cultural beauty of rural India. However, my review is not to say that this story is simply a tragedy or full of complete and utter sadness. While these elements exist, it is also full of hope and friendship, as well as love between mother and daughter, father and child, friend to friend, lover to lover, and family. Rakhee learns the complicated variations of love and forgiveness while understanding that some choices are not as simple as they may seem. I gave this book four stars because I truly enjoyed the the dynamic structure of the characters and the evolving tone and thematic contents of the story, with some difficulty when the story became slow at times. This is, most definitely, an intriguing read that equally incorporates great narrative with cultural relevance, vivid imagery, and shattering emotional content.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair is a stunning debut novel framed by an older Indian woman who leaves her fiance to return to her ancestral home and deal with the past, which is a bit cliche. However, the bulk of the novel settles on Rakhee’s summer spent in India before her 11th birthday with her mother’s (Amma) mysterious family and away from her father, Aba. Clearly Nair’s prose has been influenced by fairy tales and is sometimes reminiscent of The Secret Garden and Little Red Riding Hood, which makes the story that much richer.

“Slowly I moved toward the wall with my arm outstretched until my fingertips touched its vine-smothered surface. I waited for something drastic to happen when my skin made contact with the stone, but when neither I nor the wall burst into flames or evaporated into thin air, I continued dragging my hand along the wall, emboldened, until my palm felt the roughness of the vines give way to a smooth, hard wood.

A door.” (page 67)

In a way the garden she discovers is like a fantasy with its beautiful plants and fanciful creatures. Rakhee struggles a lot with her identity at home and abroad as a child, but its her curiosity and determination bred by the confidence of her father that will endear her to readers. The world created by Nair is so absorbing that readers may even forget about the adult Rakhee.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/07/t...

[Pia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started The Girl in the Garden on a transatlantic flight. I had to change planes in London and I was irritated at being interrupted in the middle of the story, just as some of the intriguing questions and mysteries of The Girl in the Garden were making themselves known.

I loved the voice of young Rakhee, an innocent, cloistered girl who was exposed to a brand new world as a young woman and discovers the secrets of her family's past that will change her life forever. I loved the world Kamala Nair weaved, this Wonderland, where I, like Rakhee, was spirited away during the hours that I devoured this story. It was such a difficult story to read, because I knew I was closer to the end with each page that I turned. The descriptions depicted, the stresses of a young child learning the dark secrets of her family that have been hidden from her, these were all so magical, yet so very tangibly created.

The Girl in the Garden is perfect for that long flight, that incessantly rainy afternoon or simply when you want to get lost in a beautifully written book that will spirit you away. Turn your phone off and disable your doorbell, because nothing can tear you away from The Girl in the Garden.

[Laura Jaeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was tempted to abandon this book, as the title character was absent completely from the first half of the story. It’s well worth the wait though. Well written and rich with detail of Indian and Hindu culture, Nair has woven an intriguing coming-of-age mystery revolving around a series of long-buried family secrets. What I appreciate most is that she has subtly provided the clues to unraveling the mystery throughout the entire book and, once the reader figures it out, the resolution is left unspoken. One of my biggest literary pet peeves is when mystery writers underestimate the intelligence of their readers by including drawn out plot explanations at the conclusion of their novels, as if to say “Hey reader, in case you’re too stupid to get all my hints, here’s the solution.” Nair skillfully avoids this. . Most mysteries are pretty run of the mill, and unworthy of a five-star rating, but this is the exception on my bookshelf. I look forward to future novels from this rookie author.