4.5 stars but I feel like being generous with this book so I give 5 stars here anyway.

Had really high expectations post-reading Poison of Love, but didn't live up to it. The premise and story are really interesting, feels like a lot has been lost in translation, as emotions of the characters aren't visible. Maybe the original Malayalam version would be much much better.

“In this world, for poor people like us, shouldn’t the sheer act of being alive be counted as a revolution in itself?”

I heard about KR Meera recently, and since I have enjoyed a few other works of translation, I decided to give the book a shot. It was disturbing to say the least. Will not go into the story, since the story doesn't really matter. What stays with the reader is the dynamics between those on different levels of the power structure. The protagonist is not one I would normally have had much sympathy for- she is self centred and one is not really sure of what drives her, but she and her obsessive love is the pillar around which the story is built. The other characters take shape only in relation to her, and yet, they are characters you sympathize with. I certainly look forward to reading more of her.

The emergency was one of the darkest periods in the history of India.
~
A 15 year old Prema madly falls in love with Yudas or 'Croc' Yudas who retrieves dead bodies from her village lake.
Prema yearns to escape her despotic father, who was in the police force and had scourged Naxalites during the Emergency. Prema is drawn towards Yudas's Naxalite ideology.
Yudas is a recluse and has secrets of his own and has seen the worst days in life.
Yudas, much like his biblical namesake, has a burden of betrayal over him.
The story is set in the Naxalite period in Kerala and it's corollary effects. The Naxalites faced many trials and tribulations during the movement.
This is a novel of love and longing. I loved the imagery used in the book. A slightly bizzare book which is worth every minute of your reading time.
~
I absolutely love how KR Meera writes about love in its most strange forms. Malayalees who have read the original, 'Yudasinte Suvisesham' will feel that something's are lost in the translation but for Non Mallus like me, the translation is just fine. The cover is beautiful and you admire it more after reading the book. Characterization is amazing and even minor characters like Sangeeta stay with you. Highly highly recommended ♥️ KR Meera is a genius.
~
It's not easy to forget this book and it stays with you for days. I finished this book in a single sitting.

What does it mean to physically harm someone? To harm them with full understanding of your actions, to be brutal because you represent a certain authority, a state?
The Gospel of Yudas by K R Meera dwells on the brutality of the police force in Kerala as seen during the period of Emergency. Prema a daughter of a police officer who takes immense pride in his violence, is grappling with the consequences of his choices. Unknowingly or knowingly she is drawn to the victims of her father's actions.
The story follows her as she attempts to piece their history together, while her life falls apart.
Revolutions every where claim so many lives, some are successful and some revolutions are in vain. Governments that are to be for the people more often than not lose sight of their responsibilities. In the act of reminding them, scores of people become victims. Both the aggressors and the receiver are the victims of the state aren't they?
So many poignant thoughts packed in this short story, only K R Meera could do that.

Rebellious!