Sita's Ascent

Sita has been sent to Valmiki's ashram at Rama's command never to return. This extraordinary novel is her story---she who as much as Rama is the heart of Ramayana one of the greatest living epics. It is also the story of Lakshmana crushed by guilt on Sita's abduction; of Soorpanakka shocked at Ravana's being struck by love alien to the rakshasas' code; and of Rama's turmoil when confronted by public gossip about Sita his beloved wife. Through the remembrances of these and other characters Sita comes alive as a figure of womanhood.. Inspired by myriad age-old and culturally diverse retellings Vayu Naidu creates a rich deeply moving and original work of fiction Sita’s Ascent illuminates the physical and emotive landscape of a woman in exile who crosses the desert of loss and ascends the abyss of abandonment with the power of love that transforms the narrators and the listeners.