The Ramayana, one of the world's greatest epics, is also a tragic love
story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places
Sita at the center of the novel: This is Sita's version. The Forest of
Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in
the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi,
Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity,
and honor, it is also about women's struggle to retain autonomy in a
world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a
gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates
even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying
questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones?
What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand
up and say, "Enough!"?