Malayali Memorial (2024)

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The latest collection of Unni R's short stories in translation shines with the tone of self-critique so characteristic of his earlier writing, gentle and penetrating at the same time. His world still comprises mostly the rural and peri-urban areas of Kottayam, his birthplace. It emerges through his words as a place with layers of life that lie beyond the merely human—the birds, animals, spirits, Jesus, Satan and even inanimate things have their role and place in it. The stories feature a whole range of situations and characters, who are forever assailed by an awareness of their own vulnerability. In 'Malayali Memorial', the protagonist is a low-lying, wily and seemingly powerless man in a stridently casteist family; the young man in 'Boy and Girl' is the weepy sort, yet his powerless tears seem to have the power to soften the resolve of a confident young woman. Further, this collection includes Unni's experiments with the short story form. Overall, these stories break open