Malsawmi Jacob

Zorami is the first historical fiction written by a Mizo writer in English. The novel brings together different strands like the transformation of Mizo identity and culture through 'Christianisation' and the clash between Mizo culture and that sought to be imposed by a domineering subcontinent. Such strands are woven together with the inner 'rites of passage' of the protagonist, Zorami, a Mizo woman subjected to rape and displacement during a time of violent political upheaval and her journey towards personal healing and discovery of a new identity via a spiritual encounter. The author, Malsawmi Jacob, takes the reader through Zorami's traversal of her zones of darkness and shades of grey to a final explosion of the 'colours of acceptance and love'.