Top 4 Books To Read By Perumal Murugan

You may differentiate the life of a goat with that of a human, but Perumal Murugan in his book Poonachi draws a parallel that shows similarities with the human condition and basically about a living breathing life. Poonachi is an orphan she goat, distinct in her appearance and quite a trajectory of life that makes her stand out from the herd, this book has a human touch to the story that is emotional, heartwarming and relatable at times especially for women as Poonachi herself navigates the meaning of being one with her becoming a mother, this is one of the best books by Perumal Murugan that you can give a try being a first time reader to his exemplary writing. 

The plot of Pyre sets out to be calm, acceptable of the tragedy that befalls certain sections of the society, but very slowly turns into a heart wrenching tale of death and revenge. The founding plot of the book is based on the hatred that the society has against inter-caste marriage. It is the story of Saroja and Kumaresan tied by love but divided by man made divisions of caste. This book is not for the faint hearted and is one of the glowing gems of Perumal Murugan’s writings. Pyre just like its name glows with intensity and is special in every way for all kinds of readers. 

This is a short story collection, a sort of anthology book that depicts the same flavored stories you may associate with rural and semi-rural Tamil Nadu. There are three interesting stories compiled in this book among others, Nelakka is about a woman with stains on her teeth, then again The Last Cloth is a story of shifting times and how the definition of normal and abnormal changes in human society when it comes to clothing. This would be the best book for beginners to jump in if they want to read something interesting and nuanced by Perumal Murugan. 

This book is a differently written one by Perumal Murugan it is cinematic and fast paced and quite an engaging read that would grasp the attention of the reader from the get go. The book Current show is about Sathi, a young soda-seller who lives his life from one day to the next because of his dreary job, but finds little meaning and interest with his friendship among similar workers around this cinema hall where they try to earn their livelihood for survival. This book takes a dark turn as the small town life takes an unexpected turn making the readers’ experience more refined and grappling.