A powerful novel . . . [Murugan] recounts the everyday brutality of caste society in relentless detail'-The Hindu Shorty, a young untouchable farmhand, is in bondage to a paternal yet powerful landlord. He spends his days herding sheep and tilling the fields, caught between the rigours of an unforgiving life and the solace he finds in nature and the company of his friends. He struggles to keep a fragile happiness, but endless work and a stubborn hunger gnaw away at his spirited innocence. And before long, Shorty must confront the unyielding reality of his situation. Poignant and powerful, Seasons of the Palm is merciless in its portrayal of the daily humiliations of untouchablility, but is also lyrical in its evocation of the grace with which the oppressed come to terms with their dark fate. '[Murugan's] characters, dialogues and locales are unerringly drawn and intensely evocative . . . A superb writer'-Indian Express 'The most accomplished of his generation of Tamil writers'-Caravan