The Goat Thief by Perumal Murugan was, for me, a delightful foray into short stories after a lot of non-fiction books. These 10 short stories were originally written in Tamil by the author, and credit must go to the translator for capturing the tone and essence of the characters and the story and not losing it in translation.

What was beautiful about the stories was the central characters' focus on an inanimate object which takes center stage - a toilet, a well, a couple of chairs, a tumbler, and so forth. One lets out a chuckle at the effectiveness with which these are woven into the plot. That so few words can paint such a vivid picture and give depth to the characters speaks to the remarkable ability of the author.

The author’s lived experience enhances the richness of the village and city lives depicted in these stories. I also admired his boldness in the use of words considered crass (“shit,” for example) but are nevertheless a part of everyone’s daily routines.

If you’re looking for a book that you can complete with ease in one setting, definitely pick this one up.

Originally published here.