Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

The novel follows Lakshmi, a character whose life is a poignant exploration of fate and self-determination. Gautier’s narrative is unique in its perspective, often shifting to the viewpoints of animals, which adds a layer of depth and whimsy to the storytelling. This narrative choice not only enriches the plot but also serves as a metaphor for the interconnectedness of all beings and the universal quest for freedom.

Lakshmi is a compelling protagonist whose journey is heart-wrenching yet inspiring. Her struggles and triumphs are depicted with a sensitivity that makes her story resonate deeply. The supporting characters, though seen through the lens of Lakshmi’s experiences, are well-crafted and contribute significantly to the novel’s thematic richness.

Gautier’s prose is lyrical and evocative, capturing the essence of Pondicherry’s vibrant culture and history. His philosophical reflections are seamlessly integrated into the narrative, prompting readers to ponder profound questions about destiny and identity. The retellings of Sanskrit mythology are particularly engaging, offering a fresh perspective on ancient tales.

While the novel’s philosophical depth is one of its strengths, it can also be a double-edged sword. At times, the meditative passages may feel dense, potentially slowing the pace for readers who prefer a more straightforward narrative. However, those who appreciate a novel that challenges them to think deeply will find this aspect rewarding.

Lakshmi’s Secret Diary is a thought-provoking and beautifully written novel that stands out for its unique narrative style and profound themes. Ari Gautier has crafted a story that is both timeless and timely, inviting readers to reflect on their own lives and the world around them.

This book is a must-read for those who enjoy literary fiction that delves into the complexities of human existence.

Highly recommended for readers who appreciate philosophical fiction, retellings of mythology, and stories that explore deep social and personal themes. This novel will particularly appeal to those who enjoy a blend of lyrical prose and thought-provoking content.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

This story is told from the point of view of an elephant named Lakshami and goes throughout her lifetime as a temple elephant, an wild elephant, a television elephant, and back to the start as a temple elephant. Along the way she meets a couple of other animals that become guiding figures in her story. One of which is Tripod dog baba, which part of the story is also his life story.

All in all, it was slow for me to get into at the beginning; however, it did ramp up quite quickly and became interesting. I did feel sad emotions throughout as I read the animal’s various stories. Disclaimer though, in my opinion, It did read in tone as young adult.

Such a unique story told from the point of view of an elephant escaping captivity. At times this was heavy, but there were also spurts of humor mixed in to break up the emotional toll. I really enjoyed this and it deepened my love and appreciation for elephants.

Lakshmi’s Secret Diary by Ari Gautier is a fascinating novel set in the culturally rich Pondicherry, once the heart of French India. It weaves together elements of mythology, animal perspectives, and social critique, with Lakshmi, a temple elephant, as the central figure. Her journey toward freedom is filled with vibrant characters, including a moon that dances with elephants and a flying fish named Alphonse. Through these whimsical encounters, the novel critiques human-animal relations in India and offers a layered reflection on freedom, identity, and the impact of colonialism. The vivid descriptions of Pondicherry bring to life its religious, culinary, and cultural diversity, while exploring deeper philosophical questions through surreal and satirical storytelling. Gautier's blend of tragedy and humor creates a compelling narrative that lingers long after reading.

Thank you to Net Galley and Columbia University Press for the ARC. This was such a beautiful read. I really enjoyed Lakshmi and Tripod Dog Baba's characters. This story was extremely emotional, as we see the plight of animals such as elephants and dogs across India. I really enjoyed reading about Lakshmi's early life and the story's she hears from Alphonse and Tripod Dog Baba. This was quite heart warming but also there were humorous moments. I enjoyed how Indian philosophy and mythology was blended into the narrative. The writing style was also really beautiful. Overall this is a really touching book that I enjoyed reading and I am eager to read the author's other works.

I enjoyed this book. The story is fresh, original and positive. The story of Lakshmi and her friends bring interesting thoughts to the mind and is entertaining. There are a lot of comparison to do with our human story even if this is about animals. It's for me a new voice and it's a great reading which will stay with me. Thank you Columbia University Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I liked the idea of the blend of meditations, philosophy, social commentary and Hindu mythology, and the characters being animals.
I also found Gautier’s writing to be engaging and liked a few of the animal characters.
Overall, though, perhaps due to the very high expectations I had set for this book, as well as my high regard and interest in the themes and topics blended into the narrative, I wanted a smooth sailing novel, and kept wanting more - depth, interweaving, layers.
3.5 stars.
I do recommend it. It is certainly curious.

I had gone into this book thinking it was going to be about a temple elephant’s life but the majority really wasn’t. This book was mostly a series of parables or brief events in history. The quality of writing was still very high. I did enjoy reading each sub story. The animal personification of each issue was well matched. The author did a good job of blending historical events into each story that overtime characters had a new depth. The style of writing and the characters were very entertaining. What stopped me from really enjoying this book was the odd presentation of the messages.

I think the hardest part for me was the choice of presenting many human issues in animals. The elephants have castes, which, to my knowledge, was created for this book to represent human’s society. I just kept wondering why the author decided to have the characters be animals directly reflect human society instead of just having humans be the characters. The only sub story that I understood why the animal was an animal was in the dog story where the issues faced were distinctly from an animal. While the writing is fantastic and the messages were very potent, I feel like they didn’t deliver as effectively as they could’ve been.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Lakshmi’s Secret Diary by Ari Gautier is a first person POV Tamil Indian novel from the point of view of an elephant. Temple elephant Lakshmi wants to leave her life of captivity and live among the elephants that live in the wild. Along the way, she runs into the fantastical stories of several other animals and considers the caste system that all elephants are a part of.

I really suggest reading the translator’s afterword after finishing the book. There’s a lot of information on the history of France colonizing India, mythology, and discussing the traditions Gautier was working from. I learned a new word, ‘transcreation’, which is defined by translator Sheela Mahadevan as ‘a term that is frequently employed in the Indian context to describe the long-standing tradition of retelling and adapting Sanskrit mythology’ and, as suggested by G. Gopinathan, ‘as a rebirth or reincarnation (avatar) of the original work.’ I found this so interesting because it sounds a lot like ‘adaptation’ but has a specific nuance to it regarding Sanskrit mythology, so there are probably rules and ideas that are going to be unique to the transcreation movement and I would like to see more of it.

Of all of the animals’ stories, the two that were the most interesting were Veeran and his constant dance with the moon and a flying fish who wants to sit in the mouth of a kingfisher and see the world. Veeran’s story is tragic and romantic at the same time, constantly chasing his life as she waxes and wanes only for her to forget him because she is reborn every month. The flying fish paints a vivid picture of the world outside of his home and of what lies in Pondicherry. There’s yearning in both that ties back to Lakshmi’s own yearning for freedom to make her own choices.

Lakshmi is often more of a transcriber of the stories of others and mostly keeps her thoughts to herself unless she speaks to them, giving a feeling of the writing down of oral histories at times. Because Lakshmi is tied to the temple and the caste system, her viewpoint is somewhat limited, but she is not unaware of what is going on in the world around her. Tripod Dog Baba, in particular, does some highlighting of the worst parts of humanity in his story, especially in regards to how women are treated, linking the mythological aspects of the Mahabharata to the culture Lakshmi exists in.

I would recommend this to fans of adaptations of the Mahabharata and readers of contemporary and historical who like animal POVs

Both whimsical and philosophical, this book follows an elephant determined to find her freedom.

Lakshmi is born into the temple elephant caste. But when she's sent away to training school, an escaped elephant living nearby opens her eyes to a whole new world. Soon, she's sneaking out to a hidden refuge for escaped elephants and eating fermented fruit with him, debating between her expected life at a temple and the uncharted life that awaits her in the forest.

This book incorporates Sanskrit mythology and a Hindu worldview, with some characters reincarnating over the course of the book. It was an interesting introduction to a world I didn't know much about - historical India - through the unique perspective of an elephant.

Lakshmi likes to think about the meaning of life and her experience of it, and along the way she meets a cast of characters who do the same: Tripod Dog Baba, a guru dog in her temple; a flying fish called Alphonse who's a soul reborn; and Manmath, a warrior elephant who shares the story of the downfall of his people. Life can be hard and tragic for elephants and dogs in India, and this book doesn't shy away from that reality. At times passages can be painfully sad.

I found myself rooting so hard for happiness for Lakshmi and Tripod Dog Baba.

Trigger warnings: animal abuse, animal death

The book is written from the perspective of an elephant, Lakshmi, who lives in Pondicherry. It starts with Lakshmi giving a three-legged dog lessons in history, culture, religion, and elephant behavior. Nothing happens, which made it dry. Eventually we learn more about Lakshmi’s life and history and the elephant’s interactions in the world, and the story became more interesting. I understood the author wanted to shed light on the plight of animals and share the story of the part of India that was under French rule, which I appreciated. Even the later historical, cultural, religious, and other explanations were more naturally incorporated in the story. Overall, it’s a worthwhile read.

Lakshmi's Secret Diary is a novel narrating the life and adventures of Lakshmi, a temple elephant. At the outset, the book opens with heavy social commentary explaining the 'varna system' amongst the elephants, obviously taking inspiration from the actual one. Though I found the premise & Lakshmi's conversations with herself fascinating in the beginning, it became repetitive down the lane, The sensitive thin line between explaining the historical conceptions of the way institutions came to be and the need to improve upon them was often sacrificed for a slight bashing of them more than anything. To that end, the book got a bit too preachy for my taste.
Based in the jungles of Bandipur, Puducherry & the adjacent region, the author does a wonderful job of bringing the atmosphere to life. I could feel the bustling roads, the chaos of the markets & the vibrant going-ons of the temple. In a similar vein, Lakshmi's filmy adventures were fun to read about too. The author is no doubt gifted with words and storytelling.
"Perhaps it was the friends we made along the way" emerges as a central theme which starts off amazing with the exaggerations of a three legged dog and a flying fish?! However, post the 50% mark, their arcs too dwindled and crashed (along with my interest in the book). The story sheds light on man-animal conflicts, human use and abuse of animals, It ventured into the philosophical imaginations from the point of view of an elephant, which I found interesting, to an extent too.
In sum, this book had immense potential but it sort of fell flat for me in the last quarter.

The book feels like reading a journal and It has been written at the time of French India set in Pondicherry. Author has explained the rituals, culture, culinary and splattered l light upon so many facts about history that we have forgotten. While the mystery of reincarnation was intriguing. There was a description of a three legged dog called Tripod Dog Baba. The writing is good. I feel no matter how good the translation is, it can’t capture the essence, depth and emotions of the original work. Overall the book was a good read.

Thanks to the publisher

This is one of the most interesting books I've ever read in my entire life. We follow the main character who is a literal elephant. This novel is set in Indian and it's based on a mythology that I wasn't familiar with, so I can't say how well the author did its justice. But I thoroughly enjoyed this read.