One Hell of a Lover

Unni R.'s short stories thrive on the many tales rural folk tell each other to make up the tapestry of everyday life-fantastic stories local gossip shared in whispers. His protagonists are always colourful; some of them live their lives in provincial circles but their minds hover in the world of culture and ideas. No wonder then that they dream about Giacometti and Lucien Freud and name their roosters Vladimir and Bukharin. These stories bring alive a Kerala that remains hidden behind statistics and social science commentaries.