Mena Abdullah (and Ray Mathew) were being honest to their delineation, and perhaps discovery, of authentic experience. The world of that Muslim-Hindu child speaks of exile and the self, of the confines of family and its great sustaining strengths. It offers subtle lessons in alternative social environments. It also teaches us that the best writing can be powerfully moving while at the same time confronting us with issues that, over time, increase in relevance. The Time of the Peacock is a book that has more to say to more people now than it had when, in the 1950s, the stories first appeared.” Tom Shapcott, from his Introduction.
