The Tainted
Cauvery Madhavan

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It's spring 1920 in the small military town of Nandagiri in south-east India.

Colonel Aylmer, commander of the Royal Irish Kildare Rangers, is in charge. A distance away, decently hidden from view, lies the native part of Nandagiri with its heaving bazaar, reeking streets and brothels.  

Everyone in Nandagiri knows their place and the part they were born to play – with one exception. The local Anglo-Indians, tainted by their mixed blood, belong . . . nowhere.  

When news of the Black and Tans’ atrocities back in Ireland reaches the troops in India, even their priest cannot cool the men’s hot-headed rage. Politics vie with passion as Private Michael Flaherty pays court to Rose, Mrs Aylmer’s Anglo-Indian maid . . . but mutiny brings heroism and heartbreak in equal measure. Only the arrival of Colonel Aylmer’s grandson Richard, some 60 years later, will set off the reckoning, when those who were parted will be reunited, and those who were lost will be found again.
Fiction/historical | ISBN: 9781913109066 | Pub: 30/04/2020 | Format: eBook
REVIEWS
'Cauvery Madhavan, a writer from Chennai who lives in Ireland, draws out powerful themes of identity and belonging to give heft to this evocative and affecting novel.' Antonia Senior, The Times
‘If she hadn’t written this book I might have been tempted to have a go at it but now she has done it brilliantly. A Wonderful book! Highly recommended!' Sebastian Barry
'The soldiers were so badly treated when they came home'
Cauvery Madhavan's meticulous new novel is based on the aftermath of a real-life mutiny by Irish troops in India'
Tanya Sweeney - Independent.ie
‘Cauvery Madhavan's evocative narrative spins together the intriguing lives of her characters over nearly seven decades and makes The Tainted a riveting read. Unfolding largely through conversations among the principal characters is an elegiac tale of the Anglo-Indian community, their heritage and their uncertain future. The intricate details of every experience are captured in simple language and with great precision. A moving story, 
compellingly told.’ Shashi Tharoor
‘Cauvery Madhavan juxtaposes the colonised, the colonisers and something in between, amidst two cultures to capture the complex hierarchies, social taboos and uncertain loyalties of a century ago, and then, astonishingly, somehow manages to weave a skilfully crafted love story into the mosaic.’ Eoghan Corry
‘Cauvery Madhavan's The Tainted is an absolute triumph, which uses a little-known episode in Irish history – the mutiny of the Connaught Rangers in 1920 – to bring a fictional recreation of colonial and modern India to life. It is another important piece in   a century-long legacy that continues to shape both Indian and   Irish identity.’ Dr Mario Draper
‘Utterly mesmerising and engrossing, beautifully crafted.’ 
Mita Mistry, Eastern Eye
‘The Tainted pivots around this staggering notion: generations must grapple with the consequences of a single night of forbidden love. Written with an affectionate familiarity of the Anglo-Indians, the ‘tainted’ by-product of British colonial rule, Cauvery’s brilliant saga treads lightly with engaging conversations… all the while stealthily moving towards a punch-in-the-gut ending.’ Indu Balachandran
‘This beautifully written novel tells the tragic story of two people caught in a no man’s land of identity and how trauma can transmit itself from one generation to the next often in ways that we never fully understand.’ Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times
‘A traditional novel evoking the colours and aromas of India'
 The Tainted, set in India from the years 1920 to 1982, opens as a traditional account of star-crossed lovers: Michael Flaherty, an Irish soldier, and Rose Twomey, an “Anglo-Indian” (a term that encompassed Irish-Indians). The narrative then leaps forward in time to follow the milieu of their descendants.’
Lucy Sweeney-Byrne - The Irish Times
‘A treat of a novel, deliciously detailed, full of living, breathing characters, transporting you effortlessly through time. Cauvery Madhavan, author of The Uncoupling, has written another unmissable book.’ Maggie Gee
‘A compelling and assured novel of conflicting loyalties and conjoined pasts that resurrects forgotten histories of the Irish in India, exhuming tragic loves and foiled mutinies, and examining them in the clear light of the present.’ Namita Gokhale
‘Loved it, an incredible book! This hugely accomplished novel shows all the shades of Indian society. Combining history with humanity, it wears its research lightly. I loved its intricacies, and the characters have lingered in my mind.’ Sue Leonard
‘This is a beautifully crafted Indo-Irish novel which is both compassionate and heart wrenching in equal measure. Both the Irish and Indian characters draw the readers in. The Irish regiment's stay in the little town of Nandgiri in 1920s is meticulously researched. Cauvery Madhavan has deftly drawn the life of the Anglo-Indian community in India. The pages of this rich novel transports the reader to India under the British   Raj: the author skilfully weaves a seamless thread to India in the 21st Century. Want a 'diverse book' to read in 2020? This fits the bill. It is a must read.’ Leela Soma
‘The story is gripping, moving and beautifully written. A natural talent!’ Mary Stanley
‘A great story. I really loved this book. A fabulous story, well researched with attention to detail. Beautiful ending, I loved it.’ 
June Brady, Ireland's Genealogical Gazette
‘Beautifully-written. Not just a powerful story with an unexpected dénouement but a nuanced portrait of the post-colonial condition both in India and Ireland, and of the systematic silencing of female outcasts everywhere.’ Felicity Hayes-McCoy
‘A fabulous story with a beautiful ending that brought to life a place and time that has been forgotten and, yet would have once been very familiar to Irish families with members serving in the British Army in India.’ Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette

'A long way from Kildare to here'

Part 1 of The Tainted is a historical tale, but part 2 is a romance. This is not usually my choice of reading, but Madhavan’s characters are so compelling that I was drawn into the love triangle she portrays and found myself falling for May, an Anglo-Indian beauty like her grandmother Rose (don’t tell my wife). While the love story is the engine of the plot, Madhavan has much to say about India in 1982 and the ongoing troubles of the Anglo-Indians, who are not white enough for some and not dark enough for others

Tony Canavan, Consultant Editor, Books Ireland

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cauvery Madhavan was born and educated in India. She worked as a copywriter in her hometown of Chennai (formerly Madras). Cauvery moved to Ireland thirty-three years ago and has been in love with the country ever since. Here other books are: Paddy Indian and The Uncoupling. She lives with her husband and three children in beautiful County Kildare.

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