About the Book: Valli: A Novel
Valli is set in Wayanad, a rural district in northern Kerala sitting high up in
the Western Ghats. Wayanad has the highest population of Adivasi people in
Kerala. Although a large part of the district is still covered in forests rich
in biodiversity, Wayanad has been in the grip of an environmental as well as
humanitarian crisis for several decades. Migration from the lowlands, and the
exploitative timber and tourist industries have had debilitating impact on the
forests as well as its people.
Set against this background, Valli takes us into the inner complexities of life
in Wayanad. The