India, May 24 -- Ruthvika Rao's The Fertile Earth is a beautifully narrated tale of cruelty, power imbalance and love that brings to life Telangana's feudal past and the rise of both the CPI(ML) and of Hindu nationalist factions there in the 1960s. Surendra Deshmukh lives with his family in a gadi, a traditional fortified mansion, that towers over Irumi village. As landlords, the Deshmukhs' "authority. and their power over the lives of those who lived in Irumi was absolute." Surendra has two nieces, Vijaya, a pre-teen, and four-year-old Sree. Their mother showers Sree with love and despises Vijaya, who assumes this hatred is because she is dark skinned while her sister is pale. As a result, she dislikes her sibling. Sree, unaware of this dynamic, often tails her sister everywhere. Ranga and Krishna are sons of the washerwoman at the gadi. Ranga, the elder sibling is trusted deeply by the Deshmukhs. Krishna and Vijaya are classmates and friends. Krishna wants to impress her, which leads him to agree to her proposed expedition into the forest to catch a man-eating tiger. Things go horribly wrong for both sets of siblings, and the incident becomes a turning point in their lives. Ranga takes the blame and is punished with the cruellest of public whippings by Surendra Deshmukh. Krishna is sent away to Hyderabad to pursue his education on condition that he never return. The novel begins with the shocking image of the heads of members of the Deshmukh family on pikes. The year is 1970 and by then, the public execution of landlords by the people's court of Naxalites is a common occurrence. The book traces the events that lead the Deshmukh family to this grisly end, taking the story back to 1955, when Vijaya and Krishna became friends as children. Their friendship and budding yearning for each other become the frame within which events unfold. Rao's writing is descriptive, sharing a vein with recent books such as Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water and Tejaswini Apte-Rahm's The Secret of More. Rao creates vivid landscapes, describes the architecture and everyday life at the gadi. Occasionally, however, the beauty of the writing is overshadowed by errors such as a mention of the Arts College at Osmania University having five floors (it has two) or of a full moon on Diwali, which is only ever celebrated on a new moon night. Still, the reader is able to ignore these and focus on the story. Interestingly, the most powerful family in Irumi has no sons and doesn't mourn or long for any. As always, though, associations of upper-caste women with men who are not from their strata are severely frowned upon and those involved are punished. Women, despite their high status, do not have the agency to choose who they want to be with, whereas the converse is somewhat acceptable - in fact, associations between upper-caste men and lower-caste women are conveniently ignored. Added to which, lower-caste women are sold for two rupees and a bag of grain, which leads many to join the Naxalite movement. Inebriated one day, Surendra Deshmukh acknowledges the brilliance of Ranga and Krishna and wishes they too were upper-caste. It is this realisation that forms the basis of his cruelty towards them, and to others who "need to be controlled". Krishna isn't as transgressive as his brother. In fact, when he is propelled to the forefront of the Hindu nationalist faction's movement questioning land rights in Hyderabad in the 1960s, he chooses not to participate. His friend Gagan reminds him of his past in Irumi, a past that separated him from his family. But Krishna simply wants to live a decent life, earn a doctorate, and marry Vijaya, if she will agree to spend her life with him. Rao writes all her characters with empathy. Even when she describes Surendra, she ensures that his unspoken love for his nieces is apparent. No one is villainised or glorified. They are presented in all their (in)humanity. The novel incorporates plenty of research on the feudal system and the politics of the Telangana region in the 1950s and '60s. However, Rao prioritises telling a good story with all its twists and turns over putting her research on display - a temptation many experienced authors worldwide cannot resist. A real page turner, The Fertile Earth is a spectacular debut....