MALAYALAM
Murder mystery
K. KUNHIKRISHNAN
PALERI MANIKYAM — Oru Paathirakolapathakathinte Katha: T. P. Rajeevan; Current Books, Thrissur-686001. Distributed by Cosmo Books. Rs. 150.
THIS STORY of a midnight murder unravels the conundrum of a crime that was reported on March 31, 1957. Through the investigation of the killing, the novel profiles, in four parts, the history and the social changes taking place in the Paleri village. The mystery of murder remains till the end and the plethora of characters render the story a loosely-knit one. The village has diverse characters and their social, political, and economic backgrounds are varied. Manikyam, a young girl of 20, is murdered at around midnight in the presence of her mother-in-law, and it occurs as the entire population of the village was away watching a popular drama. There was also another killing, on the same night, of a temple priest, whose family was in dire circumstances.
While trying to construct the story, the novelist has adopted a narrative style that distracts from the main theme. Murder case is closed as the prosecution failed to produce clinching evidence. The protagonist and his companion take up the task of investigating the case. The conclusion that Khadar committed the murder abetted by his father’s friends is not convincing. As a literary medium the novel is all encompassing, and from the perspective of a broad village history, it is a new genre.
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