Minu returns to her remote highland town after a six-month hiatus in the city. Having alighted the bus following a gruelling two day journey, she is eager for reunion, and the embrace of her family. However, after a strange experience at the lakeshore, she discovers a home rank with fear, and a community brittle with paranoia. Her previously benign father, Setyan, is a transformed character. During her absence, he has embraced a new philosophy, which in turn encourages an unforgiving attitude toward his free spirited daughter. His smile has been replaced by an intolerant scowl, and he is lacking in warmth and compassion. Her mother, Moona, is timid and subdued, and cowers in the presence of her husband. Her grandmother, Zuri, has become a spectral figure, hiding in her bedroom from a world she no longer understands. The family home is stripped and bare, and most of the possessions associated with the past are missing.
Rejected by her family and shunned by her peers, Minu does not know where to turn. Briefly, she wonders if her temporary relocation to the capitol has corrupted her. In the days following her return though, a series of events persuade her otherwise. Virtually every aspect of the town has changed. Only Morathi, the homeless wanderer, and Kariel, the one boy brave enough to resist the new order, resemble their former selves. The majority of this suspicious community regards them, like Minu, with contempt. This distrust has the potential to develop into something truly malign, and the threat of violence stalks the streets and alleys.
Minu is dismayed to find that the library now contains only one book, and disheartened to discover that the town’s transformation has been inspired by its contents. At the entrance to a road off the square, huge, studded gates have been constructed. They loom over daily life like a curse. It is Minu’s guess that behind them is the Painted Road, the route all true believers hope to follow. Then there are the disturbing ceremonies that take place in the cold shadow of the gates. Having formerly been the setting for markets, celebrations, and festivals, the square now plays host to sinister ceremonies during which books and anything with connections to the past are burned. As town’s folk look on, girls with whom Minu grew up are married to men older than their fathers. No voices are ever raised in dissent.
As summer grinds on, and the grip of the new code grows ever tighter, Minu finds that her every move is scrutinized. A personal tragedy proves that the new ways are not only restrictive, but dangerous. Faced with a world in which their friendship is deemed a sin, and girls have no rights, Minu and Kariel discover strength in each other. Their developing relationship is all that gives them hope, and it is what their future must be built on.
Painted Road is the tale of two adolescents coming of age in a community that is hurtling out of control. Their battle to survive reveals qualities and strengths they did not know they possessed. The story highlights the folly of unexamined faith, and celebrates the courage of those who stand against it. The question it asks is can love and loyalty
Rejected by her family and shunned by her peers, Minu does not know where to turn. Briefly, she wonders if her temporary relocation to the capitol has corrupted her. In the days following her return though, a series of events persuade her otherwise. Virtually every aspect of the town has changed. Only Morathi, the homeless wanderer, and Kariel, the one boy brave enough to resist the new order, resemble their former selves. The majority of this suspicious community regards them, like Minu, with contempt. This distrust has the potential to develop into something truly malign, and the threat of violence stalks the streets and alleys.
Minu is dismayed to find that the library now contains only one book, and disheartened to discover that the town’s transformation has been inspired by its contents. At the entrance to a road off the square, huge, studded gates have been constructed. They loom over daily life like a curse. It is Minu’s guess that behind them is the Painted Road, the route all true believers hope to follow. Then there are the disturbing ceremonies that take place in the cold shadow of the gates. Having formerly been the setting for markets, celebrations, and festivals, the square now plays host to sinister ceremonies during which books and anything with connections to the past are burned. As town’s folk look on, girls with whom Minu grew up are married to men older than their fathers. No voices are ever raised in dissent.
As summer grinds on, and the grip of the new code grows ever tighter, Minu finds that her every move is scrutinized. A personal tragedy proves that the new ways are not only restrictive, but dangerous. Faced with a world in which their friendship is deemed a sin, and girls have no rights, Minu and Kariel discover strength in each other. Their developing relationship is all that gives them hope, and it is what their future must be built on.
Painted Road is the tale of two adolescents coming of age in a community that is hurtling out of control. Their battle to survive reveals qualities and strengths they did not know they possessed. The story highlights the folly of unexamined faith, and celebrates the courage of those who stand against it. The question it asks is can love and loyalty
