‘The tragedy isn’t just what happens to the women, but also the emotional death of the men who feel compelled to inflict it’
Author Fathi Salim discusses her debut novel, 'Dechoma and the Women of Mahé,' which explores the lives and camaraderie of women in a matrilineal Muslim community in Kerala. The book highlights the strength of female relationships and the impact of patriarchal structures on both men and women.
Why it matters
The work provides cultural insight into specific regional social structures and the literary representation of matrilineal communities in India.
When she was a young girl, Fathi Salim, who was born in Sharjah, moved to Mahé, a district of the Union Territory of Puducherry, bordered on all sides by Kerala. The maternal side of her family had roots there, explains Fathi, whose debut novel, Dechoma and the Women of Mahé , originally published in Malayalam by Mathrubhumi Books in 2022, is set mostly in this picturesque coastal town.
The article is a literary profile focusing on the author's creative process and cultural observations.
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