Maya, a strikingly beautiful, confident and talented nineteen year old living in the small town of Ludhiana in India, is sure to be successful. Studying fashion and commended for her work at a local school, Maya’s future already looks bright when she is introduced to a woman who is intent of having Maya marry the woman’s prosperous and respectable brother. As the eligibility of the match is confirmed, arrangements are quickly made and Maya is thrust into a hastily contrived marriage.
Ever the optimist, on the eve of her wedding night, Maya is overcome by the endless optimistic possibilities of a new life with her husband as the freshness of life reverberates throughout her anticipation. But just as Maya begins the sacred rites that she has been taught are that of a dutiful wife, her dreams are revealed to be an illusion and she is catapulted into rejection by a husband who seems indifferent to her advances. Confused and struggling to understand her rejection, Maya sets about revealing the root of the problem before coming to a horrific discovery that will change her life forever. As the truth slowly unravels and Maya is forced to abandon her birth family to live with her husband, Maya becomes deeply embroiled in a troubled and unfulfilling marriage.

Following the events of Maya’s life from this point, this book traces her story of hopes continually raised and dashed, health complications, near-death episodes, and repeated family quarrels in a period that spans time spent in on several different continents.

This is Maya’s story, told with power and forthrightness. Living in solitude and silence, ‘Nectar of the grateful victim’ gives Maya a voice that had been previously denied throughout the course of her life. This is a story about a strong and independent woman who withstands continual emotional abuse to forge a life for herself and her family.

Effortlessly and seamlessly switching between different stages of the story, Taran Dhillon builds a powerful narrative that enthrals the reader throughout. Written through the voice of an articulate and educated woman, ‘Nectar of the Grateful Victim’ is a fresh and utterly genuine and wonderfully compelling tale that fully encapsulates the complicated domestic situations of arranged marriages. Maya’s tale is one that will shock, but one that will eventually warm the reader through the single-minded pursuit of our heroine to cope with every situation that is thrown at her. Maya should provide an inspiration to us all and is a fine example of an unsung twentieth century heroine.