Pyre

Murugan’s (Resolve) latest features young lovers Saroja and Kumaresan, who sweetly fall in love in the city. Upon marrying, they run away to his village and widowed mother, but Kumaresan significantly underestimates the village’s response to his young wife from another caste. Murugan switches effortlessly between the innocence and hope of these two young lovers and the brutal rigidity of the caste system. In addition, he beautifully contrasts the couple’s responses to the disaffected mother and village. Narrator Suvash Mohan brings the story to life with his Indian English rhythms and speech patterns, placing listeners inside the book. The singsong rhythm is musical and hypnotic but does not spare listeners from experiencing the deep-seated hatred for “the other.” While listeners might wish for more distinction between character voicing, it does not detract from the story.