The Sting of Peppercorns

A novel set in colonial Goa, a region on the west coast of India ruled by the Portuguese till 1961. It's May 1961, and in the village of Loutolim in Portuguese Goa, Dona Isabella prepares for the unexpected return of her eldest and favourite son Paulo, who is studying law in Coimbra, Portugal. On the very day of his return to Goa, Paulo barely escapes execution by a group of masked guerrillas seeking the overthrow of the colonial Portuguese regime. Paulo's life, and that of his rich and traditional Brahmin family, takes a tragic turn with the military takeover of Goa by India after 451 years of Portuguese rule. The integration of Goa into India disentangles the socio-economic foundation of the Albuquerque family. Paulo's sister falls in love with a man of lower caste. Dona Isabella laments the loss of her culture and the unraveling of her children's lives. Haunted by nightmares, and daydreaming of his return to Portugal, Paulo takes to drinking, drugs, and sex orgies on Baga beach with hippies. This story explores history, love, death, conflicts of assimilation, and cultural mores of the people of Goa.