Vanessa R. Sasson's The Fourth Wife is a brilliant Buddhist retelling of an ancient story, and one I could not stop reading. This is captivating drama, filled with intrigue, richly painted and artfully conceived

David Guterson, author of Evelyn in Transit, USA

Sasson brings early Buddhist history to life in this captivating retelling of Ajatasattu, the Magadhan king infamous for having imprisoned his father to take the throne. Drawing on her deep knowledge of Buddhist sources, Sasson presents Ajatasattu's story as a great human tragedy that reflects the fundamental teachings of the Buddhist Dharma. She tells Ajatasattu's story through the eyes of a fictional fourth wife, a vantage point that also enables the reader to imagine what women's lives may have been like during the time of the historical Buddha.

Lori R. Meeks, University of Southern California, USA

In a beautiful retelling of the story of Ajatasattu, the brutal king who meets the
Buddha himself, Sasson confronts the reader with painfully contemporary questions
of how to live with tyranny, how to reckon with intergenerational trauma, and how
to face the inevitability of karma. Her prose renders the ancient world with vivid
emotional depth, a narrative skill reminiscent of Elif Shafak.

Wendy Dossett, University of Chester, UK

Sasson has done it again! The Fourth Wife takes an influential Buddhist story and
makes it accessible to anyone with an interest in Buddhism, gender, and/or families
by perfectly blending historical context with compelling narrative.

Gwendolyn Gillson, Illinois College, USA

At once fanciful and research-driven, The Fourth Wife is a lush and moving narrative
account of life in ancient India. Sasson provokes a pathway of inquiry, revealing
different ways to think about traditional stories and inviting new voices to tell them.

Kristin Scheible, Reed College, USA