Kalyana

August 29, 2016
Khelawan's second novel (following The End of the Dark and Stormy Night) tells the story of a young Indian woman growing up in the late 1960s in Fiji, where her family relocated during the British occupation of India. She was lovingly raised by her mother, who vividly recounts tales of her family and India's mythological stories; her aunt, with whom she shares a bed and her education; and her father, known in the neighborhood as a liberal man because he does not beat his wife without reason. Kalyana's world is shattered at age 11 when her uncle rapes her. When Kalyana's mother tells her she must hide what has happened for the sake of their family, the young woman struggles to reconcile the narratives that connect women to each other while enduring the silencing that her society requires. As the story follows Kalyana into adulthoodâincluding marriage, immigration to Canada, and having a child of her ownâreaders see how political movements shape her life. Khelawan elegantly intertwines the effects of patriarchy, colonialism, slavery, and second-wave feminism in a story about a young woman losing and then finding her voice. Rich in detail and memory, the novel celebrates the power of storytelling as both formative and healing.