India, Nov. 12 -- From the very first page, it is abundantly clear that Leaf, Water and Flow is not a typical work of fiction. First published in Marathi in 2015, Avadhoot Dongare's experimental novel, translated by Nadeem Khan, has been longlisted for the 2024 JCB Prize for Indian Literature. It is hard to sum up this essentially plot-less novel in a few lines. The narrator admits as much in the first chapter: "The subject of this novel is not something that can be expressed in brief. I sat down to write the subject, and all that came to my head is these stories." A series of short sections focusing on different individuals from varied socio-economic backgrounds who have all congregated around a hillock follow this statement. Some of the...