About the Book

A TAUT, DARKLY COMIC EXPLORATION OF TRUTH, CORRUPTION AND STORYTELLING.
The Muddy River tells and re-tells the story of Ramesh Chandran, a bureaucrat caught up in the machinations of Assamese politics and public-sector corruption during his quest to rescue an engineer kidnapped by militants. As Chandran bumbles along, he encounters the engineer's wife, petite and fiery; a cynical police officer; a venerable Gandhian; and Anupama, another engineer torn between professional integrity and her love for Assam.
An aspiring writer, Chandran weaves the events of this time into a novel, while attempting to come to terms with his own marriage after the death of their only child. But how well does he understand other people's truths and motivations? And how much does his wife, Sukanya, know about the events of the novel? Multi-layered and complex, The Muddy River blurs the boundaries between story and storyteller, victims and victimisers, keeping the reader guessing till the very end.

About the Author

P.A. Krishnan (P. Ananthakrishnan) initially a physics teacher before joining the Indian bureaucracy. His writing career began late, after spending many years with the Government of India. A renowned Tamil writer, Krishnan has authored several books in the language, including a celebrated, accessible history of Western painting. He contributes to several magazines, including Outlook, The Wire and Kalachuvadu (Tamil).