Dubai: A Dubai-based banker-turned-entrepreneur has penned a murder mystery which was released in his hometown in the Indian state of Kerala recently.
Biju Anthony, 44, told XPRESS on his return to Dubai that his debut novel, Shadows Lie, is a work of fiction published by Leadstart Publishing.
He said, “The book is set in the 1950s in Kollam, Kerala. The story revolves round two mystery deaths in the island ancestral home of a Catholic family, which dabbles with power and love in the backdrop of an Indo-Norwegian project that developed the fisheries infrastructure in the port village. It brings to life the exotic ways of Latin Catholics in the 1950s, their feudal relationships with a fisherman community on the verge of liberation, the life of their household helps and how the choices they make affect the destinies of people. It’s a tale of love, lust and lies.”
Childhood memories
He said, “As a child, I would visit my great grandfather’s house in the island town and hear many stories which have stayed with me. In fact, the double murder in the book too is loosely based on a rumour doing the rounds back then.”
The role played by domestic help in the household is intriguing. Silent spectators to the ups and downs in their employers’ lives, these men and women are privy to the families’ most confidential information. “They play a pivotal role in my novel,” said Anthony.
He said the 270-page book, which is currently available online and in Indian bookstores, will be released in the UAE shortly.
Another UAE-based Keralite, Saleem Ayyanath, meanwhile, has won a prestigious award - the Dubai Neermathalam Kamala Surayya Madhavikutty-Literary Award - for his work titled Bengal Colony.
Ayyanath, who works as a senior librarian in a private school in the UAE, is a native of Chamravattam, Tirur of Malapuram district in Kerala.
His published works also include Deborah, a short story collection, Nilavilekku Thuranna Nirra Kanukal, a work of poetry and Thunnal Pakshiyude Veedu, a novel.
Ayyanath is also a recipient of the Atlas Kairali Award, Dubai Kairali kalakendra Award, Abu Dhabi Shakthi Award, Kerala Kaumudi Award and Yuva Kalasahithi Award.
