Description

An ancient axe seeks out a young girl when unbeknownst to her, her Christian foster father sets in motion plans for her future in a bid to secure his land. Her guide and her friend are an elderly Lebanese Muslim spice merchant who has made the foothills of the Western Ghats his home, and his young grandson, Arslan. Her hitherto heavy and exploited life brightens up for Ila when a person from her past enters her life. The story weaves back and forth in time and between Ila and the key influences in her life. Will she discover her past and her true identity.

The key plot covered is child marriage and our relationship with the land. Borrowing from ancient myths of India and the Biblical world and set in an unidentified time, the novella covers themes of patriarchy, our search for who we are, understanding the meaning of time and home and immortality and finding courage. ‘The Blue Mountains’ is meant to be a beacon of hope for someone, somewhere in a lonely corner of the world.

About the Author: Maria Mathew

Before becoming a published author, Maria Mathew, born in erstwhile Calcutta to Malayali parents, grew up in a childhood fractured between bustling Calcutta, and ostensibly tranquil villages and small towns in and around the Western Ghats. Early separation from home and parents sharpened her sense of displacement; while the contrast of bustling Kolkata to verdant Kerala drove her to conjure vivid worlds through her love of words.

Her restlessness and sense of adventure has taken her across multiple cities and countries and continents over the years, always in search of the next experience. She is fluent in several languages – English, Malayalam, Hindi, Spanish; and continues to seek out other languages – Sanskrit, French and Arabic in her quest for self-discovery. She has spent several years of her youth training in Kalarippayattu, an ancient martial artform of Kerala, seeking out teachers to help hone her skill and senses.