The Tainted

'A wonderful story by a very wonderful writer' Sebastian Barry;'Cauvery Madhavan's evocative narrative spins together the intriguing lives of her characters over nearly seven decades and makes The Tainted a riveting read. A moving story, compellingly told' Shashi Tharoor; 'A treat of a novel, deliciously detailed, full of living, breathing characters, transporting you effortlessly through time. Cauvery Madhavan has written another unmissable book' Maggie Gee; 'Utterly mesmerising and engrossing, beautifully crafted' Mita Mistry, Eastern Eye; A compelling and assured novel of conflicting loyalties and conjoined pasts that resurrects forgotten histories of the Irish in India' Namita Gokhale; 'Loved it, an incredible book! This hugely accomplished novel shows all the shades of Indian society' Sue Leonard; ' Beautifully written...gripping and moving. A natural talent!' Mary Stanley ; 'A beautifully crafted Indo- Irish novel which is both compassionate and heart wrenching in equal measure. Want a 'diverse book' to read in 2020? This fits the bill. It is a must read' Leela Soma ; 'An absolute triumph, which uses a little-known episode in Irish history - the mutiny of the Connaught Rangers in 1920 - to bring a fictional recreation of colonial and modern India to life. It is another important piece in a century-long legacy that continues to shape both Indian and Irish identity' Dr Mario Draper, Lecture in military history; 'This beautifully written novel tells the tragic story of two people caught in a no man's land of identity and how trauma can transmit itself from one generation to the next often in ways that we never fully understand' Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times; 'Madhavan's characters are so compelling that I was drawn into the love triangle she portrays and found myself falling for May, an Anglo-India beauty like her grandmother Rose (don't tell my wife). The elegance of the writing, the vivid evocation of India in two different eras and the strength of the characters all drew me in and kept me turning the pages. I was sorry when the novel was over' BOOKS IRELAND; 'Cauvery Madhavan' meticulous new novel is based on the aftermath of a real-life mutiny by Irish troops in India. Her novel has been compared with Sebastian Barry's A LONG LONG WAY. Amid the vivid historical and political account, there lies a beguiling love story. Anglo-Indians tended to be seen as "evidence of sexual transgression within the ranks", Madhavan knows all too well the parallels between Ireland and India in that regard' INDEPENDENT IE