logo
Home Literature Literature The Cuckoo's Nest
product-img
The Cuckoo's Nest
Enjoying reading this book?

The Cuckoo's Nest

by A. Sethumadhavan (Sethu)
4.4
4.4 out of 5

publisher
Creators
Author A. Sethumadhavan (Sethu)
Publisher Olive Turtle
Synopsis The Cuckoo’s Nest is the story of Madam Agatha, a former devout nun who, after renouncing the order, decides to take up the cudgels for the cause of tolerance and pluralism. She decides to set up a unique institution called ‘Nest’ for empowering the hapless girls from all over the country, discarded by society. The paramount condition set by her is that none of the resident girls are allowed to talk of their religion or caste inside the campus. The novelist attempts to portray the kind of challenges she has to face from vested interests all around while working towards secularism, and how she manages to swim against the tide. The theme is quite contemporary and topical, and some of the issues treated in this novel are staring Indian society and polity in the face today. One increasingly comes across certain divisive forces trying to promote othering in order to disturb the cultural and communal harmony in the country. It is significant here that the eternal optimist Agatha believes strongly that even in this darkest hour, all is not lost. And she continues her fight for what she thinks is right. This novel works like a soothing balm for the human spirit, tired and beaten down by false ideologies. 

Enjoying reading this book?
Binding: Paperback
About the author A Sethumadhavan (Sethu), born in a small village in Kerala, has been writing stories and novels in Malayalam for the past five decades. He belongs to a highly innovative generation of fiction writers in Malayalam, who pioneered a radical transformation of sensibility during that period. Widely travelled abroad and having worked in different parts of India, many of his writings have a global flavour and a pan-Indian canvas. A winner of many major awards in Malayalam, he has 18 novels and 20 collections of stories to his credit. His novel Adayalangal won him the Vayalar Award in 2005 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2007. Many of his works have been translated into English and other Indian languages. The Saga of Muziris was published in English translation in 2016, and Aliyah: The Last Jew in the Village in 2018. The Cuckoo’s Nest is his first novel in English. He is known for his magical rendition, weaving in ‘a sense of the impossible’ in a haunting manner, remarkable for the way it attracts a subtext of profound psychological, anthropological and, at times, mystical significance. A banker by profession, Sethu was also the chairman of the National Book Trust, Delhi, for three years.
Specifications
  • Language: English
  • Publisher: Olive Turtle
  • Pages: 264
  • Binding: Paperback
  • ISBN: 9789389136210
  • Category: Literature
  • Related Category: Literature
Share this book Twitter Facebook


Suggested Reads
Suggested Reads
Books from this publisher
Red Blooms in the Forest by Nilima Sinha
Well Met in Cyprus by Javaid Qazi
Prisoners of Revolution: A Political Novel by Amar Mudi
If You Can Walk, You Can Dance by Marion Molteno
You Cannot Have All The Answers and Other Stories by Deepa Agarwal
Aliens in Delhi by Sami Ahmad Khan
Books from this publisher
Related Books
You Cannot Have All The Answers and Other Stories Deepa Agarwal
Without Prejudice: Epic Tale of a Mumbai Bar Dancer Devasis
Wings of Fantasy Ragini Bali
Windhorse Warrior R C Friedericks
White Crane, Lend me Your Wings: A Tibetan Tale of Love and War Tsewang Yishey Pemba
When God Went to Hell Ravi Gupta
Related Books
Bookshelves
Stay Connected