CHAPTER 27

Summary

• The chapter opens in 1932 Parambil, following Philipose who struggles with learning to swim despite years of practice.
• The day comes when Joppan, Philipose’s friend and swimming coach, refuses to accompany him to the river due to a falling-out, causing Philipose to coax Shamuel instead.
• Joppan leaves to work for Iqbal, leading to discord between his parents. Shamuel isn't enthusiastic about the turn of events and wishes for Joppan to work at Parambil instead.
• Philipose persists with his swimming lessons, much to the amusement of local boatmen, but ultimately fails. This repeated failure leads Philipose to become dejected and contemplative.
• Philipose begins to consider pursuing other endeavours, such as climbing their family's oldest tree: an activity his deceased father participated in a week before his death.
• Shamuel and Big Ammachi, Philipose’s mother, reflect on the father’s tragic inability to complete the tree climb, which was botched due to a sudden lapse in strength but masked as a successful attempt to spare the father's pride.
• Philipose questions his mother about the cause of his father's death and his own failure to swim. The mother alludes to an unidentified "Condition," suggesting it's hereditary and has caused havoc in the family for generations.
• The chapter concludes with Big Ammachi hesitantly promising to share what she knows about "the Condition", hinting at a potential genetic problem but holding back the family's genealogy, referenced as the 'Water Tree'. Big Ammachi hopes that Philipose might discover the cure for this 'Condition' in the future.