Skinned Gods by @sjsindu

I guess when you lie for so long, you actually start living it. You forget your identity and it seeps out like an old photograph losing its colour.

In Blue Skinned Gods, there's a child who is told that he is Kalki, the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu and who is entrusted with the responsibility of healing the world and its people. He grows up being worshipped, his blue tinged skin a thing of wonder. While Kalki is paraded as a God, he only craves to be an ordinary child like his cousin Lakshman. But he is burdened with lessons and sessions by his Ayya (father), a man with a mean temper.

As Kalki grows up, he is expected to pass three trials, one of which includes healing a person who is on the verge of breathing his/her last. These trials come and go, leaving a shift in Kalki each time. Amidst all his success, there's always something amiss. Some gnawing doubt that he may not be a God afterall. But soon enough, Kalki begins to ask questions that he ignored his entire life. Questions about his powers, his existence and also of his purpose.

I would hate to reveal the rest of the story because Kalki's journey truly begins at the very middle of the book. His exploration of religion, sexuality and human emotions are portrayed beautifully by Sindu. You start noticing how cleverly she charts his growth and of the other characters flanked around him. The existence of God is a debatable topic and Kalki's character draws out more questions pertaining to this matter.

Below the beautiful blue cover of this book, lies an array of topics that will sooner or later beckon you.

I highly recommend this one. Thank you for the copy @soho_press and thank you @sjsindu for introducing Kalki to us.