An old farmer bound in his daily routine receives a goat kid as an unexpected gift from a mysterious stranger. The goat is unlike any the farmer has seen or herded before, with its colour pitch black and the size not more than a large worm. He brings the goat home to his wife and amid the speculations about the stranger and peculiarity of the new member in their home, they decide to raise the goat kid, which they name Poonachi. The rest of the story unravels with Poonachi growing up in a poverty-ridden household comprising of the old couple and rest of the their goats.
Written in the third person omniscient, the story bounces between the perspectives of the couple and the goats, primarily of Poonachi. The author infuses human emotions into the lives of goats seamlessly and this might be a major win for the novel because it effortlessly takes the reader’s human experience into the circumstances in the lives of goats, controlled by humans.
As a result, when the narrative shifts to goats, the interactions are raw with needs tending to just basic habitual behaviors, stripped out of any human trivialities.
The longings seem deeper and the connections, sweeter. The mother is separated from the kid in the blink of an eye. Lovers are tied to the opposite corners of the same shed and they try to push against the rope to barely manage to feel warm whiffs of each other’s breaths. There are more than a few scenes that may leave you gasping in shock as much as they would tug at your heart.
The human side of the world around the goats isn’t a smooth sail either. The weather is a merciless scorch. A remote authoritarian government tries to control the lives of its subjects. Despite all the gruesomeness, there is tenderness in the relationship between the old couple and the goats. But again, this is often pitted with greed and apathy.
In the middle of all this is the story of Poonachi whose life blooms despite all oddities. But above the surface, the fable delves into politics, as it cuts across many issues like animal rights, women’s rights, and pressures of being unique. The ending however seems a bit abrupt and could have stretched out a little bit.
In its 140 pages, the book offers a fast-paced story and a unique reading experience.