A timeless tale

Sureet Singh

Easterine Kire’s fourth novel, Son of the Thundercloud is a story of hope and miracles. In this grounding yet elevating book, the author combines lyrical storytelling with the magic and wisdom of Naga legends to create a life-affirming tale of a simpler age. In a narrative reminiscent of Biblical beliefs, such as the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and Magi watching the star of Bethlehem, the author heralds the birth of a miracle child who will give meaning to the lives of suffering people coping with drought and famine.

After losing his entire family in a famine, a man travels endless miles to arrive at an abandoned village where he meets two sisters who are hundreds of years old. They have lived there all this time without food, eating only hope and living to see the next day. The two sisters lead him to another village where an ancient prophecy will be fulfilled. The prophecy is about another woman, who is several hundred years old and becomes pregnant when a single drop of rain falls on her. The birth of the child is accompanied by mystical and miraculous happenings such as millions of stars moving in the sky and pulling the earth along, the regeneration of the earth, and huge trees sprouting up overnight. The miracle child grows up to slay the spirit tiger which had killed his father and seven brothers. The man becomes the child’s guardian and finds a home again witnessing many miracles and tragedy. 

The narrative is interwoven with enlightening wisdoms and anecdotes. Allegorical in nature, the story contains multi-layered metaphors about fundamental issues of human existence such as man’s search for meaning in life, the question of good and bad, right and wrong, and joy and suffering. The impregnation of the woman from a single raindrop, for instance, is a metaphor for the regenerative power of rain to restore the fertility of land. The spirit tiger is the embodiment of evil and human greed. The conservation of the natural environment is also a subtle but recurring metaphorical theme throughout the book.

Invoking a sense of timelessness upon the reader, Son of the Thundercloud is essentially a book about feelings and emotions rather than thinking. With disarmingly simple language and inherent honesty, Kire gently holds the reader’s attention to bring home the message that love and life are eternal. The novel reminds us that we can always choose love over fear, hope over disbelief and to believe in what’s miraculous rather than what is merely plausible.