Book excerpt: "“In many ways, Gomathi too was a water drop — a drop that had lost its home and was travelling through unknown paths. In her case, the home was the last cloud — the last cloud of a matrilineal joint family, which had held all her daughters together…” When the matrilineal system that prevailed in Nair community in Kerala was abolished almost a century back, women were caught in a state of flux and remained confused all their lives about what to retain and what not to, what was proper and what not. Gomathi was not an exception. In many ways, Gomathi is the quintessential woman of all times — women who live for the validation and acceptance of ‘others’, ignoring themselves. Will she ever realise the wastefulness of her existence? Will she do anything to bring about a change and claim back her own self? "