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marigold_bookshelf 's review for:
The Story of a Goat
by Perumal Murugan
The Story of a Goat, or Poonachi (as it is called in some editions, after the name of the protagonist), is a wonderful read. It is written in the author’s inimitable style (and beautifully translated from Tamil by N Kalyan Raman), narrated in a simple but highly effective manner that transports the reader to a timeless environment in rural India.
The story tells of a poor old couple who are gifted a tiny black goat kid by a mysterious giant stranger and how they bring up the goat in the midst of trying circumstances. Murugan makes the reader feel great empathy for the goat, giving us insight into the animal’s feelings, fears, desires. The novel reads like a parable for adults that leads one to think as much about the life of the goat and its parallel’s in human lives, particularly those of women, as that of the poor old man and woman who look after it.
I read this novel some time after I had felt a little disappointed by his latest novel, Firebird, and it restored my delight in enjoying the brilliant work of this unique author.
The story tells of a poor old couple who are gifted a tiny black goat kid by a mysterious giant stranger and how they bring up the goat in the midst of trying circumstances. Murugan makes the reader feel great empathy for the goat, giving us insight into the animal’s feelings, fears, desires. The novel reads like a parable for adults that leads one to think as much about the life of the goat and its parallel’s in human lives, particularly those of women, as that of the poor old man and woman who look after it.
I read this novel some time after I had felt a little disappointed by his latest novel, Firebird, and it restored my delight in enjoying the brilliant work of this unique author.