A review by _head_full_of_books_
Pyre by Perumal Murugan, Aniruddhan Vasudevan
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Saroja and Kumaresan are in love. They eloped and got married with the help of some friends. The newly weds head to Kumaresan's village with a dangerous secret - theirs is an inter-caste marriage - a secret powerful enough to destroy their lives. Kumaresan is naively hopeful that after few enquiries, his mom and the village will accept Saroja. As the story progresses we learn about the harsh treatment the newly weds face, intensified by the harsh terrain of the village.
Pyre attempts to tackle the ever prevalent caste issues in India. Unfortunately, even in this day and age, caste discrimination is present in the Indian society, specially in the rural areas. Given the size of the book (200 pages) I was skeptical of how the author tackles the beast. On the surface, Pyre hits all the talking points of rural India and how the poisonous beast slowly divides people. We learn about the culture through conversations and internal monologues. This is where I wish there was more narrative. The conversations are from the character’s perspective and lack the depth a new-to-caste system-reader will be looking for. As someone who grew up in India, I could relate. For a new reader this book will be a great introduction.
Pyre attempts to tackle the ever prevalent caste issues in India. Unfortunately, even in this day and age, caste discrimination is present in the Indian society, specially in the rural areas. Given the size of the book (200 pages) I was skeptical of how the author tackles the beast. On the surface, Pyre hits all the talking points of rural India and how the poisonous beast slowly divides people. We learn about the culture through conversations and internal monologues. This is where I wish there was more narrative. The conversations are from the character’s perspective and lack the depth a new-to-caste system-reader will be looking for. As someone who grew up in India, I could relate. For a new reader this book will be a great introduction.
The characters are well developed. Kumarsen’s and Saroja’s forbidden love story is very Bollywood like - no complaints there. Think falling in love even before hearing each other’s voice, conversing through your eyes - cue in Isharon isharon mein Dil Lene wale song.
All-in-all, a quick engaging read that opens door to a topic that can be explored further. I am looking forward to reading other works by this author.