Book Title: White Elephant
Author(s): Jeyamohan and Priyamvada Ramkumar
Publisher: Harper Perennial India
Number of Pages: 344
ISBN: 9373076337
Date Published: Aug. 17, 2026
Book Review
“White Elephant” by Jeyamohan and translated by Priyamvada begins with an encounter that seems simple but slowly changes the way its protagonist sees the world. Set in Madraspatnam in 1878, the novel follows Aiden Byrne, an Irish officer who believes in the system he serves, until he witnesses two workers being brutally beaten at the Tudor Ice Company. His attempt to understand what happened leads him into a much darker reality shaped by caste, poverty, famine and colonial power. Through Aiden’s eyes, the reader discovers a society where ordinary people carry the greatest burden while those in power remain protected from its worst consequences.
What makes the novel especially striking is Aiden’s gradual change. He enters the story as an outsider who sees India largely through the position he holds within the British establishment. His friendship with Kathavarayan forces him to look closer and question what he once accepted without thought. The story of the ice workers becomes connected to the devastating famine and the struggle for dignity among people pushed to the margins. The novel does not present resistance simply as a fight between Indians and the British; at its heart, it is about people demanding fairness in a system built on inequality. That makes its central conflict feel deeply human.
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Jeyamohan writes with a strong sense of place, bringing out both the harsh heat of Madras and the suffering that surrounds his characters. The historical detail gives the story weight, while the personal journeys keep it emotionally engaging. At times, the political message becomes quite direct and can overshadow the storytelling, but it also gives the novel its urgency.
“White Elephant” ultimately leaves readers thinking about how easily power can normalise cruelty and how difficult it can be for individuals to act against the systems they belong to. It is a moving, unsettling story about conscience, dignity and the cost of looking away.
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About the Author(s)
Jeyamohan is a celebrated Tamil writer and literary critic whose literary journey began with the award-winning novel Rubber. Since then, he has built an extensive body of work comprising more than twenty novels, over three hundred short stories and numerous nonfiction titles. His notable novels include Vishnupuram, Kotravai, Pin Thodarum Nizhalin Kural, Kaadu and Venmurasu, an ambitious retelling of the Mahabharata. His nonfiction spans biographies of writers, travel writing, literary criticism, philosophy and cultural heritage. Deeply rooted in India’s spiritual, philosophical and literary traditions, his writing explores enduring questions of human existence and meaning, offering expansive narratives that resonate with contemporary readers seeking alternatives to cultural isolation and cynicism.
Beyond his literary contributions, Jeyamohan has played an active role in shaping Tamil intellectual and cultural life. He founded the Vishnupuram Literary Circle, an international literary organisation; Tamil Wiki, an online encyclopaedia dedicated to Tamil arts and literature; and Nityavanam, an institute devoted to the study of philosophy and culture. He lives in Nagercoil, India.
Priyamvada Ramkumar is a literary translator who brings contemporary and classic Tamil fiction to English-speaking readers. Her translation work received recognition through the 2022 ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship and a 2023 PEN/Heim Translation Fund grant for White Elephant. Her debut translation, Stories of the True, a collection of short stories by Jeyamohan, was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2023 ALTA-NTA Prose Award. Her writing and translations have also appeared in respected literary journals, including Granta and Asymptote. Based in Chennai, India, she continues to contribute to the growing presence of Tamil literature in English translation.
