Mansions of the Moon

Review\n"Selvadurai's tale of emotionally torn star-crossed lovers--and the aftermath of their parting--is subtle, absorbing and thoroughly modern." --Maclean's
"Mansions of the Moon tells a seminal story from a new point of view. . . . Selvadurai creates immersive, visceral worlds you can almost reach out and feel . . . employ[ing] traditional myths and spiritual tales to create work that is unmistakably his own." --Toronto Star\n"Captivating. . . . Although [Yasodhara] is 'submerged by change, swept away and drowned in it' due to the decisions the men in her life make, here, in these pages, we see her struggle, hear her fears, and understand her pain. We know what's coming next and want to shelter her from the blow--a testament to Selvadurai's extraordinary empathy and storytelling. Narrated using many Pali words, this is an epic story of Yasodhara's journey to find her own path forward."--Quill & Quire (starred review)\nFrom the bestselling, award-winning author of Funny Boy and The Hungry Ghosts comes a breathtaking reimagining of ancient India through the extraordinary life of Yasodhara, the woman who married the Buddha.
In this sweeping tale, at once epic and intimate, Shyam Selvadurai introduces us to Siddhartha Gautama--who will later become "the enlightened one," or the Buddha--an unusually bright and politically astute young man settling into his upper-caste life as a newlywed to Yasodhara, a woman of great intelligence and spirit. Mansions of the Moon traces the couple's early love and life together, and then the anguished turmoil that descends upon them both as Siddhartha's spiritual calling takes over and the marriage partnership slowly, inexorably crumbles. Eventually, Yasodhara is forced to ask what kind of life a woman can lead in ancient India if her husband abandons her--even a well-born woman such as herself. And is there a path she, too, might take towards enlightenment?
Award-winning writer Shyam Selvadurai examines these questions with empathy and insight, creating a vivid portrait of a fascinating time and place, the intricate web of power, family and relationships that surround a singular marriage, and the remarkable woman who until now has remained a little-understood shadow in the historical record. Mansions of the Moon is an immersive, lively and thrilling feat of literary imagination.