By the sea

This is the English translation of Vanna Nilavan's Tamil novel Kadalpurathil.

By the Sea is no quickie—to be read once and forgotten. It is a serious novel, aesthetically faithful to its location by the seaside and the people who populate it. Its characters are real flesh and blood characters, fisherfolk who live by and with nature—until technology takes over their lives. Tradition versus survival is the new dilemma before a community which has for millennia risked lives in pursuit of its daily catch of fish.

It’s a story of love and lust, faith and friendship, relationships tested by progress and greed.
Philomi and Samidas, Cruz Michael and the sea, Mariammai and the school teacher Sebasti and Ranji— these are unforgettable characters who make By the Sea a memorable novel.