What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories
A Collection of Macabre stories from Indu Menon, who is considered to be Kamala Das's successor
A Gond tribal activist is kidnapped by the goons of a giant mining company forcibly acquiring land in his village. In order to defame him, they shoot a porn film with him and a young prostitute who turns out to be his childhood sweetheart; a cobbler skins his daughter’s hanging corpse to make the special ‘Cinderella shoes’ he had once promised her; an LTTE female tiger accused of plotting the assassination of an Indian leader ruminates on the deaths of a Sri Lankan Tamil separatist leader and a French priest who tried to assassinate Louis XV on the same date centuries apart; a nurse with bovine features stalks a female patient whose
live-in partner confronts the lesbian cow and is assaulted by her.
Indu Menon’s stories are not for the fainthearted. At the centre of all that blood, gore and broken bones lies the inveterate spirit of wronged women, who refuse to go down without a fight. Her stories live unvarnished life truths. With the imagination of a poet, in lyrical and inventive prose, her narratives startle the reader by refusing to draw the line between lived and imagined terrains. Many consider Indu Menon a successor to Kamala Das, having
inherited the same insouciance and outlook. This collection may well help us imagine what Das would have written if she were alive today.
A Gond tribal activist is kidnapped by the goons of a giant mining company forcibly acquiring land in his village. In order to defame him, they shoot a porn film with him and a young prostitute who turns out to be his childhood sweetheart; a cobbler skins his daughter’s hanging corpse to make the special ‘Cinderella shoes’ he had once promised her; an LTTE female tiger accused of plotting the assassination of an Indian leader ruminates on the deaths of a Sri Lankan Tamil separatist leader and a French priest who tried to assassinate Louis XV on the same date centuries apart; a nurse with bovine features stalks a female patient whose
live-in partner confronts the lesbian cow and is assaulted by her.
Indu Menon’s stories are not for the fainthearted. At the centre of all that blood, gore and broken bones lies the inveterate spirit of wronged women, who refuse to go down without a fight. Her stories live unvarnished life truths. With the imagination of a poet, in lyrical and inventive prose, her narratives startle the reader by refusing to draw the line between lived and imagined terrains. Many consider Indu Menon a successor to Kamala Das, having
inherited the same insouciance and outlook. This collection may well help us imagine what Das would have written if she were alive today.
281 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2021
15 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 14, 2024
DNF @ STORY 4
I have failed to finish two books this week, both collections of short stories and are very disappointing. I was very looking forward to reading this because it was described as having macabre and twisted stories, and that it was written by an Indian woman, which made me even more enthusiastic. But every story I've read up to this point hasn't been well-narrated, hasn't piqued my interest, and has left me wanting more. Although the ideas and way of thinking were sound, the narration and way they were put into practise were terrible.
----------------------------
When I made the decision to begin this collection, I was really sceptical. It was likened to "Dangers of Smoking in Bed," which I didn't really like. But they also claimed that it was graphic and quite dissimilar to what one may anticipate from Malayalam writers? I'm not sure what that means. Anyhow, I wanted to give it a shot.
Creature :- 2.5 stars
-Based on this story, I can kind of guess what the full book will be like. A story of retribution that ended in blood.
Chaklian :- 2 stars
Ahem. I didn't understand what was going on for about half the story. An insane old man fashions his dead or alive daughter's shoes from human skin.
D :- 2 stars
-Ah, I didn't quite understand it.
Bloodthirsty kali :- 3 stars
-Sweet vengeance story with Hindu goddess as inspiration.
I have failed to finish two books this week, both collections of short stories and are very disappointing. I was very looking forward to reading this because it was described as having macabre and twisted stories, and that it was written by an Indian woman, which made me even more enthusiastic. But every story I've read up to this point hasn't been well-narrated, hasn't piqued my interest, and has left me wanting more. Although the ideas and way of thinking were sound, the narration and way they were put into practise were terrible.
----------------------------
When I made the decision to begin this collection, I was really sceptical. It was likened to "Dangers of Smoking in Bed," which I didn't really like. But they also claimed that it was graphic and quite dissimilar to what one may anticipate from Malayalam writers? I'm not sure what that means. Anyhow, I wanted to give it a shot.
Creature :- 2.5 stars
-Based on this story, I can kind of guess what the full book will be like. A story of retribution that ended in blood.
Chaklian :- 2 stars
Ahem. I didn't understand what was going on for about half the story. An insane old man fashions his dead or alive daughter's shoes from human skin.
D :- 2 stars
-Ah, I didn't quite understand it.
Bloodthirsty kali :- 3 stars
-Sweet vengeance story with Hindu goddess as inspiration.
July 25, 2021
It is impossible for the stories in The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories to have been written by a pen on paper or typed out on a staid computer screen. It’s author Indu Menon, could only have carved out the words and the stories and the characters and the plots out with a sharp knife, the blood dripping, coagulating, staining, changing colours over time. Translator Nandakumar K says it all when he says the stories in the collection are not for the faint hearted.
The women in the stories are unforgettable: they are victims and perpetrators of vengeance for deep social and personal shame but the men too are equal carries of festering wounds that have to and indeed burst over time. Reading the ties of the men and the women of the stories and what they do to each other is akin to the experience of watching Oldboy after being fed on a diet of Korean rom com and family drama films. They make you sit up warily and try and scramble to make sense of what hit you, more so because the men and women in these stories are regular people in the traditional conventional get up, dressed conservatively with demure personalities, and then the real selves emerge and how!
The stories explore notions of thwarted and failed love, where the idea of love as something that heralds deep seated emotions and resulting actions. All 16 stories are told in a no holds barred manner, no quarter spared in terms of bringing out the darkness that lurks in human beings out in plain sight, with only one being a tender love story. It's difficult to pick my favourites or the ones that stand out from this collection - each one has a lot to say.
Full review here: https://bookandconversations.wordpres...
The women in the stories are unforgettable: they are victims and perpetrators of vengeance for deep social and personal shame but the men too are equal carries of festering wounds that have to and indeed burst over time. Reading the ties of the men and the women of the stories and what they do to each other is akin to the experience of watching Oldboy after being fed on a diet of Korean rom com and family drama films. They make you sit up warily and try and scramble to make sense of what hit you, more so because the men and women in these stories are regular people in the traditional conventional get up, dressed conservatively with demure personalities, and then the real selves emerge and how!
The stories explore notions of thwarted and failed love, where the idea of love as something that heralds deep seated emotions and resulting actions. All 16 stories are told in a no holds barred manner, no quarter spared in terms of bringing out the darkness that lurks in human beings out in plain sight, with only one being a tender love story. It's difficult to pick my favourites or the ones that stand out from this collection - each one has a lot to say.
Full review here: https://bookandconversations.wordpres...
September 6, 2021
1. Beautiful
2. Psychotic
3. Ruddy mental!
These are the three emotions you are permitted to feel when reading this book.
I'll give it a rating of... GoryBhadrakali/10
2. Psychotic
3. Ruddy mental!
These are the three emotions you are permitted to feel when reading this book.
I'll give it a rating of... GoryBhadrakali/10
February 16, 2022
I don't know how I feel about this book. It's perhaps unlike any other book I’ve ever read. The premise and the base are very interesting. The stories are probably brutally honest but for me, the story has too much gore, something I don't usually enjoy and often was squirming while reading the book.
August 9, 2021
This one is not for the faint hearted. This book is honest and brutal with the stories ending almost always unexpectedly. It touches so many topics from color, caste, patriarchy, ethics, religion but with such feelings and raw emotions. Exceptional book with excellent stories.
July 9, 2022
The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories was my Pride month read although I couldn’t finish it in June.
I did not know what I was getting into because I was swept along on the tide of hype on Bookstagram and didn’t bother with the book jacket. It was a woman writing, a Mallu woman, and she was making space for marginalised voices. That was all that mattered.
If I knew now what I knew then, I might not have picked up the book. Not because it is bad. It is quite powerful actually, but it is also horrifying in a way that transfixed me. I was so horrified that I couldn’t look away, which is my usual instinct with so much gore and violence on the page (or on the screen). I will admit to skipping lines at times when the violence got a bit too much.
There is an everyday kind of beauty in the landscapes that the author describes and while it should be incongruous with the gut-wrenching horror perpetrated on the marginalised in these pages, it is not. It probably brings out the ugliness better.
When those who suffer are forced into a corner, their modes of retaliation are equally or even more violent. Indu Menon doesn’t pull her punches, but what I found more depressing was the sense that this is seemingly endless. Multiple stories seem to suggest a cyclicality to the violence that seems inevitable. That I found truly difficult to get over.
I respect the power of Indu Menon’s writing, which reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman’s short stories as well as Mahashweta Devi’s Dropdi, but this book was difficult to get through.
I realise this review is less about the book and more about my squeamishness so I will recommend a better review of the book that does greater justice to it: Why ‘The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories’ deserves a space on every feminist and political bookshelf (scroll.in)
I did not know what I was getting into because I was swept along on the tide of hype on Bookstagram and didn’t bother with the book jacket. It was a woman writing, a Mallu woman, and she was making space for marginalised voices. That was all that mattered.
If I knew now what I knew then, I might not have picked up the book. Not because it is bad. It is quite powerful actually, but it is also horrifying in a way that transfixed me. I was so horrified that I couldn’t look away, which is my usual instinct with so much gore and violence on the page (or on the screen). I will admit to skipping lines at times when the violence got a bit too much.
There is an everyday kind of beauty in the landscapes that the author describes and while it should be incongruous with the gut-wrenching horror perpetrated on the marginalised in these pages, it is not. It probably brings out the ugliness better.
When those who suffer are forced into a corner, their modes of retaliation are equally or even more violent. Indu Menon doesn’t pull her punches, but what I found more depressing was the sense that this is seemingly endless. Multiple stories seem to suggest a cyclicality to the violence that seems inevitable. That I found truly difficult to get over.
I respect the power of Indu Menon’s writing, which reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman’s short stories as well as Mahashweta Devi’s Dropdi, but this book was difficult to get through.
I realise this review is less about the book and more about my squeamishness so I will recommend a better review of the book that does greater justice to it: Why ‘The Lesbian Cow and Other Stories’ deserves a space on every feminist and political bookshelf (scroll.in)
January 6, 2024
Wild wild portrayal of Hindu and Muslim communities. Also, each stories left me with "wtf did I just read" vibe.
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
July 27, 2021
This collection of 16 stories from Malayalam. Brings out various aspects of society into light patriarchy, abuse, etc.
March 31, 2022
I can't speak for the original stories in Malayalam, but this translated text could have benefited from sterner editing.
December 17, 2021
Rating: *** 1/2 (3.5/5)
This book is perhaps unlike any other book I’ve ever read, and I say that because this book presents itself in a way that is so vigorous, tantalizing and unscathed—that it becomes impossible not to squirm every once in a while, but still go back to the story. Indu Menon refuses to put the wild-horses of her plotlines under any rein, but she reigns atop the intense portrayals like a winner. What gets highlighted the most is the unusual quality of the diction: which can turn horrifying and equally rewarding in the blink of an eye. Out jumps instances of societal brutalities and masculine tramplings, but all so in an imaginative, vivid way. I often came across unshielded violent consequences, severely gory descriptions and a jugglery of magical realism with real mayhems. Sometimes the transition between actual reality and supposed meanderings was so unhindered, it became tiresome to distinguish the mental stomping of the characters vis-à-vis their physical complicacies.
Trailing along the obvious gruesomeness in how Menon’s humans ended up in her stories, was the essence of pain, jealousy, and being wronged. It was easy to identify strands of invigorating desirous actions being put to play, as it was easy to shed some tears borne of out of the visible trauma and helplessness. As I read along, I had to ask myself frequently—why was it that Menon was so invested in adding so much gore, rawness and intensity to her stories? Perhaps it sources from the fact that Menon chooses to write about several cases of marginalisation, of ostracization. And so, she has to add rebellion, untamed fury, indomitable vengefulness in her stories—which in turn, brings forth the need for such language. The imageries pave the path for the author and the translator to simultaneously whisper and scream unheard voices into the ears of the readers. But the question springs up—is this kind of violent writing a necessity for the portrayals which Menon writes about? Is this kind of fluent jugglery between fact and fiction, and the complete dismissal of moderation in the context of the text a dire need of storytelling? Opinions may route us to various paths. For some like me, excessive indulgences in the story could take away the primary instinct of the storytelling. It could lead to a lot of forced visualisations of unfortunate happenings, where the hyperboles often invite confusion, jostle and trigger a derailment from the story’s message. Imageries are a treat, only if they are not perceived as patchy and forced. In ‘The Lesbian Cow and other stories’ the language and the plotline often confront each other, emitting sparks and blood—to some, this might be exciting, but it can also be equally unsettling for some.
Thanks Westland Publications for this book.
This book is perhaps unlike any other book I’ve ever read, and I say that because this book presents itself in a way that is so vigorous, tantalizing and unscathed—that it becomes impossible not to squirm every once in a while, but still go back to the story. Indu Menon refuses to put the wild-horses of her plotlines under any rein, but she reigns atop the intense portrayals like a winner. What gets highlighted the most is the unusual quality of the diction: which can turn horrifying and equally rewarding in the blink of an eye. Out jumps instances of societal brutalities and masculine tramplings, but all so in an imaginative, vivid way. I often came across unshielded violent consequences, severely gory descriptions and a jugglery of magical realism with real mayhems. Sometimes the transition between actual reality and supposed meanderings was so unhindered, it became tiresome to distinguish the mental stomping of the characters vis-à-vis their physical complicacies.
Trailing along the obvious gruesomeness in how Menon’s humans ended up in her stories, was the essence of pain, jealousy, and being wronged. It was easy to identify strands of invigorating desirous actions being put to play, as it was easy to shed some tears borne of out of the visible trauma and helplessness. As I read along, I had to ask myself frequently—why was it that Menon was so invested in adding so much gore, rawness and intensity to her stories? Perhaps it sources from the fact that Menon chooses to write about several cases of marginalisation, of ostracization. And so, she has to add rebellion, untamed fury, indomitable vengefulness in her stories—which in turn, brings forth the need for such language. The imageries pave the path for the author and the translator to simultaneously whisper and scream unheard voices into the ears of the readers. But the question springs up—is this kind of violent writing a necessity for the portrayals which Menon writes about? Is this kind of fluent jugglery between fact and fiction, and the complete dismissal of moderation in the context of the text a dire need of storytelling? Opinions may route us to various paths. For some like me, excessive indulgences in the story could take away the primary instinct of the storytelling. It could lead to a lot of forced visualisations of unfortunate happenings, where the hyperboles often invite confusion, jostle and trigger a derailment from the story’s message. Imageries are a treat, only if they are not perceived as patchy and forced. In ‘The Lesbian Cow and other stories’ the language and the plotline often confront each other, emitting sparks and blood—to some, this might be exciting, but it can also be equally unsettling for some.
Thanks Westland Publications for this book.
June 3, 2024
As Trixie Mattel famously said, "If it's hysterical, it's historical." The stories are unnecessarily intricate and dark—not that I dislike it, but most of them seem to go nowhere. For example, I couldn't understand Menon's intentions with stories like Chaklian and The Muslim with Hindu Features. Among the 16 bizarre and reflective stories, the ones like The Creature, The Bloodthirsty Kali, The Autobiography of a Movie Extra, and The Lesbian Cow stood out as the "better" ones. My favorite is The Creature because it has multiple layers—class differences, the rich overpowering the poor, cultural and religious elements, and a beautifully-written queer aspect of a secondary character.
I rated this collection of short stories 3.5/5, but I despise—DESPISE—books that suffer from poor translation. Nandakumar K. had one job, and he failed miserably. There are few books I've had to scrutinize so thoroughly to decipher the oddly complex prose. No thanks to him for ruining Menon's art.
This is NOT a bad book, far from it. It's just badly translated, and that's the issue.
August 25, 2023
(2.7) not for me, i expected much more from this book and was sadly disappointed. maybe the stories are much more impactful in malayalam but this translated text felt quite disconnected from itself. the characters were interesting and each story had a gripping premise but the way it progressed was often unsatisfactory and immensely confusing. or idk maybe i'm just too silly for this book and it was meant for only the really genius literary girlies but i'm never reading this again or recommending it (again, i feel like this might've slapped in malayalam but lost its essence in the process of translation)
December 1, 2021
Where do you draw the line between art and gore? While most of the characters centre around the working class and people from lower social strata of the society while the author is from higher strata, it screams trauma porn.
April 2, 2022
In the prologue, Nandakumar [translator] says that Indu Menon's writing style is different. It's unexpected from women authors in Malayalam literature. Even with the warning, she took me by shock. Every single story. She made me view Kerala and society in general in ways I had only thought of on rare occasions. I don't know if all the violence, blood and gore were necessary but I do want to re-read all these stories in Malayalam. It seems like an interesting thing to take up. I will come back to these stories at some point, I'm sure of it. They're memorable and have a lasting impact.
I would compare them to O. Henry, but only structurally. I'm not sure if shock value is talent though. I'm not sure that the stories were good
I would compare them to O. Henry, but only structurally. I'm not sure if shock value is talent though. I'm not sure that the stories were good
August 16, 2022
Too much violence against women for my liking.
This wasn't the kind of book I was expecting it to be, that is of course my fault and not the author's. However the book ended up being so far away from anything I'd like.
This wasn't the kind of book I was expecting it to be, that is of course my fault and not the author's. However the book ended up being so far away from anything I'd like.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2024
Tbh, I tried really hard to finish this but gave up midway through the one about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. I'm sure lots was being lost in translation, but life is short and I don't have the time for additional struggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2025
It might be a bit hard to understand but the beauty of brutality in these pages is just unexplainably attractive
August 24, 2025
Not for the faint hearted.
January 4, 2022
I DNFd the book within the first story. This book reads more like a gore fetish than anything else. The excessive devotion to macabre, violent and just plain disgusting comes across as something done for shock value (like the title itself). It's a pity because I would have liked to know the characters otherwise.
January 25, 2022
रस निष्पत्ति - वीभत्स😖, करुण😪 (in readers)
भाव निर्मिति - भय😰, रति🥰, शोक😔( in characters)
Finally a book that makes you question the blasphemy of existence of a voyeuristic society
Finally a book that jolted me out of my comfort
Finally a woman as fierce as Indu Menon who is not ashamed of being one & writing about it
Collection of benign 14 stories which turn into spine chilling experiences
Yes the traumatizing physical & mental violence screams at your face..
& Yes I still read it
A book like this is very important to understand the strata of division in our society. Stories that we have always heard & yet remain ignorant - feminism, rights of gay, non binary people, corruption & events like Massacres of 1975 Emergency
"Authority is not greedy. Authority is never taken by surprise. It kills a citizen slowly. First his rights, then his justice. Only after that is he physically killed"
First story unlocks the ugly mining wars of Eastern India & depth of dehumanisation
Story of a father who skins the corpse of his beloved daughter to chisel out shoes he once promised her
Story of “D”, draws parallel between the brutal punishment meted out to assassin of Louis XV in 1757, with that to Tamil militants, as an aftermath of death of a politician thru' human bomb
Story Daddy, You Bastard, reflects upon women exploitation at the hands of men
The Lexicon of Kisses’, highlights how human seek closure even if it leads to fatality of people we loved once
While Virgins Who Walk on Water is triumphant tale of lesbian love, in story of ‘The Lesbian Cow’ bovine-featured nurse is killed for seeking love of a heterosexual woman. Mind you she is called a cow for being ugly
Author's blatant writing tears the conscious of protagonists as well as reader in most grotesque manner & yet shows beauty in gore
I believe these stories did exist & writer had a third vision to see it. The intricate detailing is scary
Nandakumar jee's translation hits the mark with every word, making you forget that how hard hitting this book would be in its original form
Read this definitely guys but only if you are strong hearted
भाव निर्मिति - भय😰, रति🥰, शोक😔( in characters)
Finally a book that makes you question the blasphemy of existence of a voyeuristic society
Finally a book that jolted me out of my comfort
Finally a woman as fierce as Indu Menon who is not ashamed of being one & writing about it
Collection of benign 14 stories which turn into spine chilling experiences
Yes the traumatizing physical & mental violence screams at your face..
& Yes I still read it
A book like this is very important to understand the strata of division in our society. Stories that we have always heard & yet remain ignorant - feminism, rights of gay, non binary people, corruption & events like Massacres of 1975 Emergency
"Authority is not greedy. Authority is never taken by surprise. It kills a citizen slowly. First his rights, then his justice. Only after that is he physically killed"
First story unlocks the ugly mining wars of Eastern India & depth of dehumanisation
Story of a father who skins the corpse of his beloved daughter to chisel out shoes he once promised her
Story of “D”, draws parallel between the brutal punishment meted out to assassin of Louis XV in 1757, with that to Tamil militants, as an aftermath of death of a politician thru' human bomb
Story Daddy, You Bastard, reflects upon women exploitation at the hands of men
The Lexicon of Kisses’, highlights how human seek closure even if it leads to fatality of people we loved once
While Virgins Who Walk on Water is triumphant tale of lesbian love, in story of ‘The Lesbian Cow’ bovine-featured nurse is killed for seeking love of a heterosexual woman. Mind you she is called a cow for being ugly
Author's blatant writing tears the conscious of protagonists as well as reader in most grotesque manner & yet shows beauty in gore
I believe these stories did exist & writer had a third vision to see it. The intricate detailing is scary
Nandakumar jee's translation hits the mark with every word, making you forget that how hard hitting this book would be in its original form
Read this definitely guys but only if you are strong hearted
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews