About the Book: The isolated village of Perumpadi, founded fifty years ago by Kunjuvarkey and other settlers fleeing shameful secrets and societal judgment, is bounded by forests and rivers at the Kerala-Karnataka border. Initially a place of promiscuity, the community now seeks modernity and respectability. Jeremias Paul (President), the son of an original settler, becomes the unchallenged, fair adjudicator of disputes, despite harboring his own secrets. “Anthill” is a robust translation of the award-winning novel Puttu, featuring over 200 characters, detailing the struggle of this community to shed their past while conforming to the demands of a cultured society. It uses honesty and biting humor to question the veneer of respectability people adopt.