Over the last three months, I had the good fortune to read a couple of good books. My idea of a good book is one that makes me contemplate about it even after I finish reading. Having read ‘One Part Woman’, I had been actually looking forward to the sequel, and after reading the sequel – ‘Trial by Silence’, I feel it was worth waiting for this one.

This book begins where the last one ends – Ponna had visited the festival with the belief that Kali wanted her to go there, while Kali, when he comes to know about Ponna visiting the festival, breaks down and tries to end his life. In ‘Trial by Silence’, he lives, but he cannot bring himself round to accept what Ponna did and forgive her. Kali and Ponna had intense love and passion for each other. However, everything changes apparently.

Much of what happens here is ‘silence’. Yet, a thousand words get conveyed. Kali hardly speaks, nor does Ponna talk, but the mental repertoire continues throughout the novel.

Perumal Murugan’s works are a thorough study of human psyche, and ‘Trial by Silence’ is not an exception. The beginning of the narrative finds Kali in distress when he learns of his beloved wife Ponna visiting the festival with the hope of a child, he cannot accept her infidelity. Thereafter, he goes through a flood of emotions that compels him to stay away from the house, ignore the duties he used to carry in the farm, and also withdraw himself from any conversation. Even his mother, nor his friend could bring back the old Kali that he was.

Themes of betrayal and forgiveness dominate the narrative. The novel begins with a doubtful betrayal. Kali feels betrayed by Ponna, his brother-in-law, and also his mother. He cannot forgive them, and is full of bitterness, particularly for Ponna. Not even the sight of his pregnant wife nor the birth of the child in the house melts him to his former self. It is only at the end, when a grieving and frustrated Ponna decides to end her own life, does he forgive and accept.

What is love, and what is it not? Kali and Ponna had always loved each other. Despite remaining childless for so long, much to the worry, envy and chagrin of others and their own helplessness, there was something that kept them united as a couple. But the turn of events, entwined this loving couple in a rope of doubts and delusions. Apparently, intense passion in a couple is intolerable of any meagre folly when it’s about commitment. So, even with the evident mental and physical distance between Kali and Ponna, love remains in a latent form, and it finally unites the couple.

The novel stands out with its excellent English translation by Aniruddhan Vasudevan. The words are very dexterously utilized to convey the emotional and mental turmoil of the characters. The picturesque description of the barn and the various details added to the narrative make it an interesting read.