KATHMANDU
Sarala Gautam’s novel ‘Dumero’ has been released. The novel is a coming-of-age story of a small-town girl, trying to find identity and voice in the larger world.
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According to a press statement released by Nepalaya, Gautam started her career as a journalist and over the years has established herself as a noticeable social critique. Her newspaper columns cover pertinent socio-political issues and have been well received. This is her debut book.
Speaking about the style of the book, Bhushita Vasistha of Nepalaya says, “Gautam’s advocacy of depoliticizing language is well reflected in the book. Her characters raise the issues of empowerment, identity, evolving relationship dynamics and other political crises of the modern-day people in simple, relatable language, intentionally devoid of buzzwords. Her style is urbane, irreverent, and potent. This aligns with Nepalaya’s commitment to publishing diverse narratives.”
The title Dumero itself is a dialectic word, which loosely translates to a restless seeker. “The word has a certain phonetic appeal,” says Sarala Gautam, “but moreover, it also carries a symbolic meaning. Woman’s identity has always been saddled with domesticity. But we are standing at the crossroad of history, where men and women don’t have as precisely defined gender roles anymore. It is necessary for us to hear and tell the story of these individuals who are struggling to find purpose and strength in this brave new world.”
The book hits the market amidst the pandemic, which has saturated the publishing world, much like everything else. “The time is indeed challenging,” says Saijan Maskey of Nepalaya. “But our previous book - Parityekta by Bhuwan Dhungana - was relatively well-received despite the lockdown. We are hopeful that this book will provide a much-needed impetus to Nepali book market.”
Dumero is priced at Rs 495 for the Nepalese Market and will be available at all leading bookstores of the country. The ebook copy can also be purchased from thuprai.com. It will be available worldwide on Amazon.
