India, Aug. 22 -- A colonial-era estate sits deep in Kerala's rubber plantations, heavy with secrets and memory. Into this house, bequeathed to her by her beloved Appacha, walks Aleyamma, 35 years old, dreadlocked, tattooed, agnostic, and to her Malayali family, the very caricature of a starving artist. Much to her surprise, and the chagrin of her clan, she inherits more than just land and timber in Ponnu Elizabeth Mathew's debut novel, The Remnants of Rebellion.

Seeking to hold on to what remains of her grandfather, Aleyamma flees her old life for the estate. It is here that the story unfurls, as Ponnu intertwines her present with Appacha's past - introducing us to Eesho in the 1960s. Timelines merge and the reader is invited to witness...