The Rice Mother

Rani Manicka weaves an excellent tapestry of four generations, of the many loves, drama, family, hatred, broken dreams and undaunted human spirit. Spanning the two exotic lands of Ceylon and Malaya we experience the story of Lakshmi and her undying spirit, Ayah her husband - useless but needed. The story begins with Lakshmi being bound in matrimony with the elderly and miserable Ayah. It then brings with it her six unique children each endowed and cursed in their own way. The story is a perfect example of how everything goes wrong but the human spirit still survives, broken but not vanquished, unhappy but alive. Japanese invasion of Malaya steals Lakshmi of her lovely daughter Mohini leaving her irreparably broken and eventually changing her into a crueler, merciless person that cannot but cast a shadow on the generations to come. The story beautifully ends with Lakshmi's great grand daughter Nisha taking an active interest in her family's legacy - her only ancestral wealth.
Written with elan, thought to perfection it touches its readers in ways unknown. Rani Manicka should  surely be someone with extraordinary sensitivity and talent to have given us a book of this caliber.


"Flowers grow beneath her feet, but she is not dead at all. The years have not diminished the Rice Mother. I see her, fierce and magical. Stop despairing and call to her, and you will see, she will come bearing a rainbow of dreams."
— Rani Manicka (The Rice Mother)


"He is my taboo, but I am his secret"
— Rani Manicka (The Rice Mother)


“Love comes and goes like the dye that colors a garment. I mistook love for the garment. Family is the garment. Let her wear her family with pride.
— Rani Manicka (The Rice Mother) 

Best,
Gargi