APPU

About the Book

Born into an impoverished family in a tiny village along the coast of Kerala, India, a curious young boy begins a coming-of-age journey with his loving, nurturing mother—all while knowing better than to ask about the man whose faint image often appears in his memory. Still, Appu never gives up looking far and wide for the father who helped bring him into the world.

Without the usual luxuries and tools afforded to most to ease his curiosity, learn new things, or venture on to the next phase in life, Appu learns to rely on his five senses as he discovers new people, sights, sounds, and smells. As he embarks on a journey across his country and the world in search of himself, Appu dives into the morals, beliefs, cultures, and traditions of a different land, all while contradicting society’s norms in an effort to find his identity, purpose, and ultimate reality.

Appu is the universally human story of a young boy’s natural rite of passage as he slowly transforms into a man who fully immerses himself in his challenges with poverty, cultural identity, personal growth, and love—and discovers who he is in the process.

About the Author

Sugunan Njekkad was born in a village in Kerala State, India. After graduating from the University of Kerala, he immigrated to United States during the 1970s where he studied laboratory science. Appu was originally published in Malayalam, a regional language in India. After the manuscript garnered much media attention, Sugunan translated the novel to English.