WHERE MAYFLIES LIVE FOREVER BY ANUPAMA MOHAN

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BOOK NAME: WHERE MAYFLIES LIVE FOREVER

AUTHOR NAME: ANUPAMA MOHAN

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: PANMACMILLAN INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK : https://www.amazon.in/Where-Mayflies-Live-Forever-Novel/dp/9390742536





**TIMES OF INDIA**

Friday, 30 August 2002

PUDUKOTTAI : MAN BEHEADED, HEAD MISSING


On 29 August 2002, around 7 pm, a decapitated body of a man was found outside a local bar-cum-restaurant in the Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu. According to the witnesses and police, the victim is identified as Sengaonoor Adhiban, an All India Tamilakam (AIT) party worker and a local school patron. The early witnesses of the gruesome act say that it was carried out by a woman who walked away with the chopped head to the local temple. 


It is notable that 7 years ago, in 1988, a woman named Sriveni alleged that she was gang-raped and sexually assaulted by Adhiban and his four other associates. The honourable high court acquitted all of them in the year 2000 due to the lack of evidence corroborating her allegations. Sriveni worked as a geography teacher at the local school before absconding from Sittanavasal after her alleged traumatic assault. An FIR  has been filed, and a search for the accused woman and the decapitated head has been launched.


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From the above-mentioned information, if you think I have given away too many spoilers, then you are mistaken. The book starts with details of the beheading and the sexual assault and why Veni must have done it if she had actually done so. Each chapter is a testimony from various characters around Veni and the politician. The prose beautifully explores womanhood beyond her relations as a mother, sister, wife and more. 


Though the initial chapters already hint towards a specific kind of ending; the final chapters, where Inspector Asha takes over the investigation, add a thrilling twist to the story. As a Tamilian, I totally loved and was immersed in the local slang of the language. The topographic details were accurate and relatable, and the use of particular words made me feel close to the book and its characters. If you are a non-Tamilian, you might feel it slightly taking away the essence of the book. Nevertheless, it's the closest to an error-free description of Tamilian culture and habits if you wish to know more.


I was taken over by a crawling sensation under my skin while reading the gory details of Veni's gangrape. I almost cried at the helplessness of the situation, which also made me extremely furious. One might feel that specific background details are redundant, but those portions are the reason why this book exists. The final chapter was the closure I needed; it was so calming and reverberating. A much-needed book that is necessary to project the social reality of abuse of power and its implication.


Do watch out for trigger warnings: physical abuse, rape


MY REVIEW: 5/5


#penbooksandscalpel

I am participating in Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge


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