e Rice Mother is a strong and powerful work that takes readers into the lives of people of diaspora in Malaya, their cultures, customs, religion, culinary delights, all interwoven with their lives and fate during the course of the last century. Filled with characters and events, Rani Manicka’s debut novel is indicative of the start of a successful writing career.

It is a story with a lot of sadness, but it keeps the attention of the reader until the very end. It is a tale of choices that people make, sometimes, knowing, and almost inviting trouble...

There is so much to analyze, so many layers to the story and the characters. No character is just black and white. Each of the characters are well fleshed out, and that couldn’t be an easy task, given that there are so many of them. All their narratives ring true. The writing is vivid, so clear that you could be right there.