A Lonely Harvest by Perumal Murugan
One of two creative prequels that pick up the plot where One Part Woman leaves off, A Lonely Harvest, finds Kali dead from despair as Ponni returns from the temple festival. Ponna must now learn to face the world alone, and she is devastated that he would punish her so harshly. However, she is also continuously tormented by recollections of the joy she previously enjoyed with Kali. Murugan tells a stirring narrative of female camaraderie and second chances with poignancy and compassion.
A Lonely Harvest by Perumal Murugan
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Unmarried couple Kali and Ponna have waited twelve years for parenthood to be perfect. Out of desperation, they eventually turn to a measure that, while it could be acceptable in their community, breaches the purity of the marriage institution and ultimately ruins their union. The women around Kali, Ponna, and his mother Seerayi are all attempting to cope with his suicide at the beginning of this book. It remains to be seen if the discovery that their fondest wish is about to come true would help them cope with the loss of their loved one.
The writing contains all of Murugan’s signature characteristics. It is brief, crude, dramatic, and yet true. The writer doesn’t attempt to sophisticate the language for aesthetic reasons; rather, the crudeness originates from the group he is trying to reflect.
Ponna’s grief was extremely beautifully described, and I thought a lot of time was spent on it. But there wasn’t as much detail in the section about birthing, so I couldn’t tell how Ponna felt about it. I appreciated the author’s attempt to quietly highlight society’s questionable moral standards. In certain cultures, it is acceptable to violate moral principles in order to conceive a child. In other cultures, however, the woman must defend her honour before the village council and swear that her husband is the kid’s father. Even more picky is the fact that only women are accountable. But isn’t that the scourge of our society?
