Late at night,~Kumarasurar’sphone rings shrilly.~His teenage son is calling. What could he want?

A seemingly simple demand torments Kumarasurar, who fears it might put his finances—and perhaps his son’s life—in jeopardy. As a father’s anxieties unravel, his memories undermine his self-worth and imaginary scenes~of damnation taunt him.

Estuary~brings alive~the~different ways—absurd and endearing by turns—in which a man and~his young son navigate~the~contemporary~world. In~the~process, it peels back~the~layers~of Kumarasurar’s loneliness:~the~hurt of a~married man whose wife cares only for~the~happiness of~their child,~the~endless monotony of an office job, and~the~struggle of~the~salaried middle-class to give~their children~the~best~chance of success.

Perumal Murugan’s latest novel, his first in an urban setting, is also a razor-sharp parody of everything from e-commerce to~the~fitness industry, art appreciation~to political manipulation, cram schools to social networks. Through a meditative exploration of a father’s emotional landscape, Murugan tells of a world wrecked by unchecked consumerism and an obsession with growth,~where technology overrides common sense and degrees don’t guarantee education. And, with characteristic tenderness, he also weaves in a way to redemption.