Mythily Sivaraman’s grandmother, Subbalskshmi, lived in the early years of the twentieth century. Married at 11 and a mother by 14, Subbalakshmi lived a hard life, dealing with her husband’s frequent absences, with became more and more reclusive, focusing on the one thing that perhaps gave her hope: her desire to read. In this meticulously researched and loving book, Mythily reconstructs her grandmother’s life from the fragments of papers ad notes, and an ...