This rich, first novel by Thomas Palayoor takes place over the course of several generations, during which the world and the village in the title change cataclysmically. These changes are, however, cumulative. They emanate from a small set of characters who make their appearance early on. Identified and characterized by custom of the day, this handful of villagers and their neighbors—who appear at first glance to occupy recognizable types—move inexorably (if not in unison) toward the complexities and contradictions of modernity. Yet, an unthinkable, stumbled upon phenomenon at the Streetlight almost immediately signals the onslaught of the new.