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.

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.

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.