Bengaluru,March 22,2025

Completed reading “Maria, Just Maria” by Sandhya Mary, masterfully translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil. The novel is a compelling exploration of identity, eccentricity, and the delicate boundary between the normal and the abnormal.

At the heart of the story is Maria, a woman who chooses silence—not because of any physical limitation, but as a conscious, deeply personal decision following the death of her beloved grandfather. Her only prayer to Kartha Isho Mishihaya (Jesus Christ) was to spare him. It is through her grandfather Geevargheese that Maria experienced the colors and warmth of her childhood, and his death plunges her into a complex internal world.

Set within a Syrian Christian family in Kerala, Maria’s journey is populated by a host of memorable characters: a philosophical dog named Chandipatti, a talking parrot, a prophetic great-grandmother, and even imagined conversations with Jesus himself. These elements lend the novel a touch of magic realism, adding depth and whimsy to its layers.