Poonachi - Perumal Murugan

Fiction

Read it!

I believe I have already gushed about Perumal Murugan this month, so I will refrain from doing that in this post. But folks, Perumal Murugan. He's such a fun author.

Poonachi is a story about a goat named Poonachi. She is dropped with a goat herd when she is kitten sized by a giant who doesn't give any straight, useful answers. It's all very odd. But then the goatheard and his wife fall in love with Poonachi and decide to do whatever they can to raise her. 

Murugan's personification of Poonachi is most adorable. The thoughts portrayed from the goat are almost human, but goat enough that it's not dumb. 

Poonachi is never quite accepted by the other goats, nor their kids, but is happy with the goatherd's wife. She goes on adventures and has quite the satisfying childhood. When she reaches maturity, she is mated and conceives 7 kids, just as the giant predicted. As you can imagine, this is exhausting for both Poonachi and the goatherd and his wife as they try to keep all the kids alive. A mystical stranger comes along and buys all of the kids to Poonachi's distress. Poonachi even falls in love at one point, though no ones knows, cares, and she is not allowed to stay with that goat.

The author's portrayal of a paranoid, controlling government is hilarious and very much Kafka-esque. The government has a pre-occupation with piercing ears of both citizens and animals. I have to admit, if Murugan was alluding something else here, I must have completely missed it. 

The book ends with Poonachi's death. There simply isn't enough food for her body to support another pregnancy with so many kids as rain and drought has overtaken the land. 

It's a simple, but very touching book. Read it.

~Becky~