The Road Taken: On Perumal Murugan’s Neduneram

There are only two stories, John Gardner once wrote — a person goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. Perumal Murugan’s Neduneram (A Long Time) is both. Murugasu leaves home to find his mother, Mangasuri, who has walked out after three decades of marriage, leaving behind only a note that reads, “I have spent a long time in here.” The same journey brings him back to his roots, where he arrives at his native town, as a stranger. Set against the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdowns, the novel traces journeys that are both inward and outward, moving sometimes forward and sometimes backwards in time, until every character is forced to face what they have spent their whole lives running from.

Read the full piece here: https://thehooghlyreview.com/review-perumal-murugan-neduneram-kathiravan-annamalai/