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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB PICK * "MYTHIC RETELLING AT ITS BEST." (R. F. Kuang, author of Babel) . "With a graceful, measured elegance" (The New York Times) , this lyrical debut reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the ancient epic the Ramayana, giving voice to an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.. I was born on the full moon under an auspicious constellation, the holiest of positions - much good it did me.. So begins Kaikeyi's story. The only daughter of the kingdom of Kekaya, she is raised on legends of the gods: how they churned the vast ocean to obtain the nectar of immortality, how they vanquish evil and ensure the land of Bharat prospers, and how they offer powerful boons to the devout and the wise.