The Secret of Elephants

I really enjoyed reading this, it was a beautifully done story and had great concept. I enjoyed the use of the author's culture and really enjoyed the characters within this story. Vasundra Tailor has a great writing style that I was invested in what was happening in the story. The characters were interesting and worked really well in the story. I look forward to more from the author.

"An elegant enamel sink sat in one corner of the dining room with a double door unit beneath it. Soap and towels were placed at the side for everyone to wash their hands before and after meals. One by one, they all washed up then followed Pramod back to the sitting room to wait for his aunt."

This was a quality read. I kind of wish there was more to the "family secret", but overall, it was a nice read with great imagery.

Simply written novel about family secrets set in India and Zimbabwe. The descriptions of Zimbabwe in particular were interesting! The plot was easy to follow, kept my interest throughout and there was a satisfying ending. The main character was likeable though I thought a couple of the secondary characters could have been more multidimensional. I love to be transported to other cultures and countries and this novel did this well! A simple story that engages.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own. 3.75 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Vasundra Tailor for letting me read “The Secrets Of Elephants” in exchange for an honest review.

I was very sceptical about this one as it’s not my usual genre. But… India… for a while I have had a fascination with India and it’s culture. A supposed visit had to be cancelled due to covid and I was crushed. The happier I am that I get to visit through this book.

I found it helpful that there was a family tree right away, always makes it easier to figure out the relations of the characters.
Also the table of Honorific Suffixes was useful, as the Indian names are so unfamiliar to me. Definitely bonus points for that. Though, there is a ton of these suffixes, so you better pay attention or have a good memory! For anyone who has no close relation to Indian culture, this can be quite complex, at least it was for me. But on this journey I also learned a lot about Indian culture and history.

The story is quite complex to sum up in a couple of lines. We meet Nirmala, a mother of a young son Varun. Varun suffers from a form of epilepsy and medicine is expensive. She lives in relative poverty and a unhappy arranged marriage, while her distant family is living across the road in riches and a vast mansion. What has caused the drift in the family?

To understand the complex family history, we have to go back in time. Nirmala’s mother is of the “wrong” cast, not good enough to marry into the family, which causes trouble in the immediate family. It’s hard to grasp the importance of the right caste and the value of where you come from. One day Nirmala receives a letter - addressed to her deceased father - from Zimbabwe, informing them that she has relatives in Africa and that the family mansion is not in the hands of her awful aunt, like they thought. Her husband is being unfaithful and she takes a leap of faith and goes to Africa with Varun.

This story is about big and small secrets. It sheds light on the history of India over decades and the role of females and different castes.

I found the book educating and entertaining. It’s also written in a really beautiful way. Tailor weaves and tells a tale in such a beautiful way. This is not the suspenseful thriller I usually read, but I enjoyed it just as much. A really beautiful book that surprised me in all the ways that counted.

A good book about a troubled young mother from India who once had big dreams. She has a child with a chronic health issue, a no-good husband and lives across the street from family. Her father owned the house she lived in and with both parents dead, she now owns the home. Across the street, her aunt and cousins live in a majestic home. The family shuns her and she doesn’t know why. Her father used to call her”tiger” because she wasn’t scared of anything, but life has changed her into a beaten down young women. As she discovers the reason for the family rift, she once again becomes confident. The book kept me entertained with a few twists and unexpected turns.
I appreciate the ARC I received from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. The review is my own. Three and a half stars rounded up to 4.

Beautifully written family saga with excellent location descriptions and deep character development. Despite angst and torment in the story, we learn that good things can happen for those who are honest and true.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this delightful ARC.

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a simple and easy read fyll of vivid descriptions and rich imagery and I loved reading about the culture. I really liked the wriritng style and the character developement was kfantastic. A great read,

Wow!!

Such Treachery!

This review cannot begin to do this book justice; however, I will give a brief synopsis. This is a MUST-read.

Tailor tells what happens to a family when secrets from generations are kept so long that an entire familial line is wiped from existence.

Here the author will tell you about that tragedy.

Nirmala receives a letter one day addressed to her deceased father from Zimbabwe, informing her that she has relatives in Africa. And the mansion her horrible aunt lives in does not belong to her.

With Nirmala’s husband being cruel to their son and him being unfaithful, a welcoming letter asks her to come to Zimbabwe.

So, Nirmala does what anyone in her circumstances would do. “She takes a leap of faith.”

With Varun and herself, nothing else begins their journey to their new life.

A new life filled with discovery, uncovering of secrets kept secrets of the past.

Here is a story that will pull on your heartstrings as long as you have an ounce of human emotions.

As Nirmala uncovers the secret of why her father’s family had always shunned her, she will soon discover what secrets they were genuinely trying to keep.

Nirmala uncovers a generation of secrets, selfishness, revenge, deception, and pure and unadulterated greed.

The once downtrodden girl who held her head down when spoken to will be no more, for Nirmala will have found her strength and voice once more.

Through the sins of her ancestors, the deceit stops with Nirmala and Varun.

Tailor has woven a “BRILLIANT” and “CAPTIVATING” story about what happens to a family when secrets are kept.

I was dying to know what could be so traumatic in the past that Jasmuti would shun Nirmala and her sick child.

Tailor’s word building is ambitious, and the descriptive flare to the sights and sounds of Zimbabwe are alluring, almost hypnotic.

Although the ending was perfectly done, I wanted it to be different. I wanted so much more for Nirmala, maybe 100 pages to fully solidify her life. A book two would be excellent!

I also never saw that ending coming in a million years. Whoa!

Overall, this book was amazingly done; it kept me wanting more as a book should.

I read this in one sitting because I just had to know I was “SHOCKED.”

“OUTSTANDINGLY DONE”

Shock factor, “PERFECTED.”

Tailor “Nailed” it!

Thank you, NetGalley/Vasundra Tailor/Amazon Publishing UK.Lake Union Publishing/ For this amazing eARC for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Thank you NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union, and Vasundra Tailor for the opportunity to read “The Secret Of Elephants” in exchange for an honest review.

I'll begin by saying that this is a debut novel worthy of attention. If you love multi-generational family sagas, and are drawn to books set in vibrant India, you will enjoy it.

The main character is Nirmala - a young mother trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel husband who berates her daily, and treats their young son with derision. Living in the modest home she inherited from her parents, they live in the shadow of their much wealthier relatives whose grand home overlooks their much smaller one. Nirmala struggles to make ends meet, her pride preventing her from approaching her mean-spirited aunt for help.

One day, a letter from Zimbabwe arrives in the mail addressed to her dead father. To her surprise, the letter is from a gentleman claiming he is her father's cousin. After some initial investigation, Nirmala learns that there is an entire branch of her family she knows nothing about living halfway across the world. Determined to unravel the mystery, she leaves for Zimbabwe with her son Varun only to discover a shocking truth that upends the lives of every single member of her family.

It's an emotional story, spanning four generations of Dayal family members. I'm not usually a fan of shifting timelines, but the author used this storytelling device absolutely seamlessly here. I enjoyed Part 1 and Part 3 of this book the most. Part 2 took place in Zimbabwe, and while it was a necessary part of the story, I felt that too much time was devoted to describing Zimbabwe's scenery and sights - none of that was central to the plot. Some minor editing of this section of the book would have kept the story on track. At this point, there are also enough clues that the reader begins to guess at the family secret so the reveal is naturally a little anti-climactic.

The parts of the book set in Navsari were riveting in comparison. Vasundra Tailor captured the sights, sounds and smells of the city so well, and the pacing in those chapters felt just right. The beaten-down, weary Nirmala we meet at the start of the book is a victim of unfortunate circumstances, but her determination to uncover her family's truth triggers her own journey of self-discovery, and I was rooting for her all the way through.

My final rating is 3.5 rounded up to 4. I would definitely read more of this author's work. Her writing is beautiful. Congratulations to her on a successful debut.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Secret of Elephants by Vasundra Tailor.

Nirmala could not feel more alone. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she has just learned that her young son has a rare illness, which will cost money that they just don't have. And just next door is Nirmala's wealthy aunt, who will barely give her the time of day, let alone any financial help. She desperately misses her parents and wishes that she had more time to learn about the chilly reception she gets from her aunt.

But Nirmala might actually have that chance after getting a strange letter addressed to her father from someone in Zimbabwe. Is it a hoax? Could they have answers? Shrugging off her awful husband, Nirmala and her son take a trip to Africa to meet a whole new set of people who may have the answers to her family.

This really is just a warm cup of comfort, I love books like this. Even with their sharp edges of disgruntled family members, family finding and enveloping each other, sharing stories and traditions just makes my heart happy. This was written so well and I loved how the author laid out the bones of the family story, and then starting at the "beginning" with Nirmala. It is well paced and well fleshed out, I loved it.

The main character Nirmala is trapped in a loveless marriage to a cruel husband, her only joy is her young son. Struggling to make ends meet, Nirmala’s pride prevents her from approaching her wealthy, yet mean-spirited, aunt for help.

One day Nirmala receives a letter from a man claiming to be her dead father’s cousin, leading Nirmala to discover an entire branch of her family tree that she knew nothing about. Travelling halfway around the world to investigate further, Nirmala’s determination to uncover her family's truth triggers her own journey of self-discovery.

It's an emotional story, spanning four generations. If you like multi-generational family sagas, I recommend that you read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

A well written and researched book that held my attention throughout. The book centres around a young mum Nirmala who is in a loveless marriage with no parents to support as they are deceased. Set between India and Zimbabwe, it follows Nirmala as she receives a letter for her deceased father and sees her travel to Zimbabwe to discover a family she never knew existed. Well developed characters and written in south a way that I was able to transport myself to another place, just beautiful albeit an emotional read at times.

This was an easy-to-read historical fiction cum semi-mystery novel by debut writer Vasundra Tailor set in western India and Zimbabwe. In India, Nirmala and her young son are struggling in life. Having married her husband Ajay for reasons revealed later, Nirmala is trapped with no support from her family, despite the fact that her aunt lives across the street in seemingly wealthy fashion. Rewind the clock and we learn bits and pieces about Nirmala’s father’s childhood and his immediate family. But there are undercurrents of unhappiness and occasional oblique mysterious references. Back to present day when Nirmala receives a surprising letter with shocking news. Fast forward and Nirmala and her son are in Zimbabwe to find out more... This was a fast read, which I found pleasant, particularly having just finished a bit of a tome (Nights of Plague), enjoyable though that was. The simple and straightforward writing of this book kept my focus on the storyline and the descriptions of the two countries. The characters, including Nirmala, were fairly one dimensional, and everything seems to fall easily into place - miraculously and unrealistically in my opinion. However, I encourage readers to focus their attention on the very realistic social and cultural environment that Nirmala was faced with and the challenges she had to deal with in forging her path for herself and her son. Reading offers us all a window into cultures from around the world. While our perspectives are shaped by personal experiences and environments, it’s important to keep in mind that social and cultural environments vary around the world. Contextualizing matters. This was a 3.5 read for me, rounded up to 4. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a brilliant read from Vasundra Tailor. This book goes on a secret-filled adventure of a heartbroken woman trying to figure out how to move on from a bad relationship. The main character Nirmala receives a letter addressed to her father who has passed on. Within the letter, she finds that she has relatives in Africa. This is where the character takes a leap of faith and leaves with her son to start a new life. This life is soon filled with more secrets and will pull on your emotions. You will never see the ending coming and it's perfect. This book is recommended to all readers because it is a story you will love and want to read more than just once.

The book cover is very reminiscent of the Henna artist by Alka Joshi, the main protagonist of Vasundra Tailor’s novel also shares many similarities with Joshi’s story. I liked the main character's resilience, tenacity and the ability to eke out a living for herself and her son. I also enjoyed the intergenerational elements, and the author’s ability to weave in history about Zimbabwe, its history and people, colonisation and Indian migration to the country. I applaud the author - as it is not easy to find historical fiction set in the African context. However, I found the ending of the tale very convenient, in my opinion, I felt the Jasu-foi character could have been made to have more depth, in my opinion she was also a victim of circumstances and an overbearing mother and painting her as an outright villain seemed convenient. In some ways a lot of the characters lacked depth and were stereotypical, the cheating husband, the evil aunt, the good cousins, the overbearing head of the family. More depth could have been added. However, it was a delightful book, and I would recommend it for literature classes for those studying migration, intergenerational relationships, and family ties.