Check back every Thursday for a new set of five! Today we have Aalahayude Penmakkal by Sarah Joseph and Indulekha by O. Chandu Menon among others.
Aalahayude Penmakkal by Sarah Joseph
The novel deals with the condition of marginalized groups in society: the subalterns in Marxist Antonio Gramsci's words. The living and existential conditions of these groups are seldom acknowledged by the society at large and they are often displaced, usually in the name of development and change. This transformation in their existential struggle is narrated by Annie, the central character, who gives voice to three generations through a feminine perspective. It won the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award among others.
Manushyanu Oru Aamukham by Subhash Chandran
The novel is set in Thachanakkara, a fictitious village in central Kerala, and revolves around a character named Jithendran. Originally serialised in Mathrubhumi Weekly in 2009, it went on to win numerous awards, including the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award.
Ummachu by Uroob
It traces the ramifications of different relationships in a village: it is a saga of love and longing, loss and suffering. It narrates the ups and downs in the eventful life of a handful of characters, chiefly Mayan and Beeran.
Indulekha by O. Chandu Menon
The title refers to the prodigy in this novel, a beautiful and well-educated Nair lady. Written at a time when an emerging class of upper caste men (mostly Nairs) were receiving a Western style education and achieving prominent positions in British India, it traces the clash of cultures, as the educated Indians were torn between Western ideals and traditional practices. Menon initially meant Indulekha as a translation of Benjamin Disraeli's Henrietta Temple (1836), but, having struggled with the subtleties of an alien culture, he abandoned the project in favour of writing one on his own, depicting a similar story.
Smarakasilakal by Punathil Kunjabdulla
Widely regarded as the author's masterpiece, the novel is woven around a mosque and its surroundings. The key figure is Khan Bahadur Pookkoya Thangal of the rich Arakkal family whose character is a rare mixture of dignity, benevolence and insatiable lust. It won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award. In an interview, Kunjabdulla shared that everything else that he has written subsequently is a repetition of this novel with some changes.
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