Goddess of the River

Two years ago, I really enjoyed Vaishnavi Patel‘s debut novel, Kaikeyi, so I was excited to read her newest release, Goddess of the River. Also inspired by Hindu mythology, this one reimagines the story of the goddess Ganga, specifically her role in the Mahabharata.

Special thanks to Redhook and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Summary

Long ago, the goddess Ganga came to Earth in the form of a river. But when a mortal man cursed her to live in human form, she married a local king and bore numerous sons—all of whom immediately died to return to their own immortal forms, except the last one. Devavrata became the prince as Ganga returned to her river goddess form, but he would lead a difficult life tied up in dharma and oaths. He would never become a king, but he would guide his family in their pursuit of the throne. Decades later, after all the mistakes made and people hurt by good intentions, war breaks out. How can mother and son set the mortal world back on the right path? Or is it too late?

Review

Early on, I found Goddess of the River completely captivating. Ganga is a goddess, the personification of a river, but her perspective must drastically shift when she’s cursed to take the form of a mortal woman. The only way to break her curse is to give birth to the eight Vasus, immortal godlings in their own right. Upon marrying the king Shantanu, Ganga proceeds to have each son and immediately drown him, freeing him back to his immortal form. But Shantanu catches on to her actions, and by the time her eighth son is born, he’s there to stop her from fulfilling her quest. Their son Devavrata becomes prince, destined to be the next king… until he later makes an oath, giving up the throne in the process. Now going by the name of Bhishma, he tries to live his life as honorably as possible, but he makes grave mistakes along the way, ultimately leading to a devastating war.

The novel goes back and forth between Ganga’s first-person perspective and a third-person account of what Bhishma is doing in his old age. He’s managing his many grand-nephews, now adults themselves and drawing ever closer the war that will divide them.

What I loved most about Goddess of the River were the discussions around whether gods should meddle in mortals’ lives, the concepts of right and wrong versus oaths and honor, and the mistakes we inevitably make despite trying our best to do what is right. It gets philosophical, and I liked seeing the contrast in perspective between Ganga (a goddess) and her son Bhishma (a mortal man).

There are a ton of characters here, and it can be hard to keep track of them all and their relationships to each other. There are also several side stories as Ganga becomes privy to some characters’ innermost secrets and turmoils. It gives the novel a certain flow, perhaps reminiscent of the river Ganga represents, but it also can make the story less concrete.

I’m not the biggest fan of war scenes within books, and that does take up most of the last 25% of Goddess of the River. Here, the war largely hinges on relationships and (overdue) conversations between characters, yet the battles still play out, too. I preferred seeing the relationships between mother and son and between Ganga and other gods, and would have enjoyed the novel more fully if those had been the focus. Even so, I was happy to learn more about Hindu mythology and characters.

Final Thoughts

Goddess of the River is an immersive book about mother-son relationships, gods vs. mortals, the vitality of change, and philosophical explorations. It’s a great chance to learn more about the Mahabharata and Hindu mythology—or, if you’re already familiar with those plots and characters, to see them reimagined in a new way here. It’s not quite as emotionally connective as I’d hoped, but it certainly inspires a lot of rumination and questions worth considering.

Get the Book

You can buy Goddess of the River here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fantasy
Setting	India
Number of Pages	416
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	May 21, 2024
Publisher	Redhook

Official Summary

A powerful reimagining of the story of Ganga, goddess of the river, and her doomed mortal son, from Vaishnavi Patel, author of the instant New York Times bestseller Kaikeyi.

A mother and a son. A goddess and a prince. A curse and an oath. A river whose course will change the fate of the world.

Ganga, joyful goddess of the river, serves as caretaker to the mischievous godlings who roam her banks. But when their antics incur the wrath of a powerful sage, Ganga is cursed to become mortal, bound to her human form until she fulfills the obligations of the curse.

Though she knows nothing of mortal life, Ganga weds King Shantanu and becomes a queen, determined to regain her freedom no matter the cost. But in a cruel turn of fate, just as she is freed of her binding, she is forced to leave her infant son behind.

Her son, prince Devavrata, unwittingly carries the legacy of Ganga’s curse. And when he makes an oath that he will never claim his father’s throne, he sets in motion a chain of events that will end in a terrible and tragic war.

As the years unfold, Ganga and Devavrata are drawn together again and again, each confluence another step on a path that has been written in the stars, in this deeply moving and masterful tale of duty, destiny, and the unwavering bond between mother and son.