Naalukettu: The House Around the Courtyard is the story of a young boy, Appunni, set in a matrilineal Nair joint family (a taravad) in the author's native village, Kudallur. Fascinated with accounts of the prestigious Naalukettu taravad from which his mother was expelled, Appunni visits the house only to be despised and rejected by all. Appunni grows up to earn enough money and returns to buy his ancestral home, but his victory soon turns into ashes when his father's murderer turns out to be the same man who was the only sympathetic adult in Appunni's lonely teenage years.

Translated by: Gita Krishnankutty