New Windmills: Old Mali and the Boy

by D.R. Sherman

In the half-light of an Indian jungle a youth and an old man act out the timeless drama of a boy's coming of age. Old Mali is a gardener, dreaming, as his gnarled fingers work the soil, of his youthful exploits as a hunter. The boy is enthralled by Mali's tales of greet hunts and persuades the old man to take him deep into the jungle. The sudden clashing sound of a hidden trap closing on Mali's leg transforms the excursion into a nightmare. And the resolution of this suspenseful, taut novel becomes a shattering but marvelously enriching experience.

Genres: Fiction, India, Teen

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

A brief novella, part of a bulk buy of old penguins. This was originally published in 1964. It is set in the India of the Raj, where Sherman was born. It is about a twelve year old boy living with his mother in India and their gardener Mali. Mali is old and meant to be wise. As you may guess it is about the impulsiveness of youth learning from the wisdom of age.
It also reinforces stereotypes and is very masculine. Apparently it was also intended for children to read. I hated this.
The book starts with a brutal example of corporal punishment inflicted on the boy by his headmaster. It follows with a prolonged description of a bear slowly dying in a metal trap. It also includes the shooting of a monkey with an arrow: another slow vividly described death and poor old Mali also ends up in a metal trap. That’s all in about one hundred pages, along with “homespun wisdom” about growing up and becoming a man. There are shades of Kipling and Hemingway as well in the subject matter.
Truly awful

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the paucity of dust jacket blurb, readers will wonder exactly what this story is about. Is this novel a simple tale of an old servant and the imaginative boy he serves? Is it the story of a relationship which pivots on itself? Is it a rite-of-passage story of a boy poised on the threshold of teenage? Or is it an allegory about poetic justice? It is certainly more than just a “plain tale from the Raj,” even though it is set in India. Equally certain is that this is a powerful story that initially lulls readers into the belief they are reading about a good, but fairly self-interested boy called Jeffrey.

Early in the story, readers learn that Jeffrey covets one thing in life more than anything else: a bow that Mali owns and which he had used to kill a bear. The account describes how Mali was out with a young hunter who had a bow and arrows. The hunt doesn’t go completely as planned, and though a bear is killed, one of Mali’s legs is badly mauled leaving him partly crippled for life. Mali had told this story to Jeffrey numerous times, but still, it is the only story Jeffrey wanted to hear repeatedly. Mali had also promised the bow to Jeffrey, but makes a habit of forgetting it every day.

Finally, Mali keeps his promise: he gives Jeffrey the bow, skillfully makes a quiver of six arrows, and then they go on a three-day hunt. Jeffrey’s soul is filled with the spirit of adventure. And then a horrific, appalling incident occurs that radically alters the dynamic between young boy and old man. Things become a matter of life and death. Mali has promised Jeffery’s mother (who was a little apprehensive about her young son going hunting), to have the boy back by the third day.

Sherman does a masterful job of picking up the novel’s pace with palpable drama and tension. Readers are made to wonder who will live, who will not. Will man and boy ever be the same as they were before the hunt? Mali’s sole motivation becomes the promise he has made to return the boy to his mother’s bosom by the third day. What will he be willing to sacrifice to fulfill that promise? Will the experience alter Jeffrey such that he matures enough to abate his self-interestedness?

Readers can find out quickly, for this is a fast, one-sitting read. Old Mali and the Boy is an amazing tale, well-written in clear, memorable, and lucid prose—highly recommended!

[Sportyrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching yet troubling story regarding platonic love, human selfishness/self preservation at the worst possible time, perseverance and coming of age.

The duo in this story are an old gardener and a young boy from the wealthier household he serves. The boy idolises Mali the gardener and wants to hear his stories about his hunting prowess. There is a horrific story about killing a trapped bear (in a clamp) at the beginning. I love animals and struggle to read through cruelty to animals hence almost put it down. But the story had some depth and I read on in case the hunter got his comeuppance.

The boy, who is a little bratty and bad-tempered convinces everyone to let the gardener take him on his first hunting trip (again, almost gave up, but fingers crossed for you-know-what). Mali, honour-bound promises to return safely within three days. The hunt is unsuccessful, but the boy kills a monkey on the way back not realising it is bad luck. A moment later Mali is trapped in a bear trap. The boy can’t go for help as he is lost so there is only one thing to do. Grab the axe! I won’t spoil what happens but I am very invested in the story at this point.

Unfortunately/fortunately I have been taught a lesson here. Just because someone enjoys slaughtering innocent animals, doesn’t mean they are a complete blank. Mali, fully recognises that this is happening because of the bear hunt. At the same time, the boy is charged with looking after him but is so bad at doing so. He drinks 3/4s of the bottle of water and offers the rest to Mali yet resents the fact that he will touch the lid with his mouth. He also offers his shirt to stop the bleeding then regrets it because the woolen jacket feels scratchy on his skin. All the while poor Mali is falling off his crutches and falling down. So there is a message about human nature there too tied in with being forced into maturity.

I’m glad I read the story (set in India by the way). I was pretty invested during the hunt and their plight. It wasn’t overly complicated and the relationship seemed pure even though they were both tested under trying circumstances. Very good read.

[Farah Khashab · Rating 2 out of 5]

just an intermediate level's story .. it talks about a young boy's dream to being a hunter .. he is a good listener to the old man "old mali " and a big dreamer about jungle .. sometimes our dreams will not have our favorite ends .. it's just another ends that we don't expect it .. keep dreaming even it will not comes true .. some dreams are lovely without happening :-)

[Jmsinessex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must have picked this up in a used book store -- $2.50 is penciled onto the flyleaf -- and it's been on my bookshelves for years; thanks to Covid, I finally read it. A short story more than a novel, and a sad one. There are many lessons in these scant few pages and I hope to read it again before too long. The boy is consumed with dreams of heroism and when faced with real danger, so terribly afraid, as would be expected in one so young while Old Mali is philosophical and dutiful to the last. This was written in 1964 and feels much older.

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young teen I read this books numerous times, it left a lasting impact on me.

I remember at that time, I was so afraid of getting old. Death was such a traumatic topic to my young mind. I would sleep for hours just to run away from thinking that either I would die, or someone I love would.

Reading this book with the Old Man was hard, and yet so refreshing. I can't wait for my son to be old enough to start reading my old time favorites.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novel - a mere 100 pages- managed to convey a moving tale through its two central characters.
The blurb describes the book very well.
An allegory of growing up?
A moral tale of retribution?
Or a plain tale from the Indian forests? Perhaps all three.
What matters most is that this is one of the most powerful and disturbing stories of the encounter between youth and age ever to be written.

[Christopher Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A captivating short novel about a young boy and the school gardener, Mali, who promises the boy a bow and arrow and to take him into the forest on a hunt. Never over-written, this is the perfect length for the story, and is a great short read.

[Andrew Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, beautifully crafted story, that is simple and direct and yet works on many levels.

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an emotional rollercoaster ride to me. The story was simple but it reminds me why i made a right decision to never become a mother. I don't know how old Mali is very patient handling the boy that he constantly called 'chota sahib'. If it was me, i'd dumped that kid in a jungle and never looked back at all. Every problem started and ended with the boy but Old Mali has to suffer the consequences. This book is only 126 pages but it was so impactful. There's a subtlety of caste differences between Old Mali and The boy. Old Mali has to be careful in using his words around the boy and to say no to the boy's demands indirectly.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books about India. A young boy hears stories of hunting from his mali (gardener)and the story of his adventure/misadventure with the mali. Young boy that grows up very fast in unfortunate incident. He is either anglo-indian in the old or new meaning of the term. I can't tell which.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

We had a 7th Grade English teacher who had taught in borstals and approved schools and he loved Sherman and Kipling and Forster. He said they calmed the inmates down and it seemed to work for us as well. Maybe it was because he was 6 foot 6 inches tall and was the most ferocious caner in the school. However, I can still taste " the lime paste" mentioned in the book.

[Sofía · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember exactly how I got this book, I think an old lady, owner of a former bookstore gave it to me as a gift? It's used and has notes of its previous owner, presumably a little girl learning English. This is completely irrelevant to anyone reading this of course, but it added a sort of charm to the book, in a way. The story itself is simple, quaint and melancholic.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I both liked and disliked this book!I liked it because it talks about a boy who loves the gardener hs mother hired and cares for him soo much.I diisliked the story because it has a lot of blood in it and it has a sad ending!I don't like sad endings!!!:(

[Abdul Shaliq kp]

i didn't read!!!

[Juan Peña]

it is a book which I found very nice

[Rosamund Haynes]

That it is a fascinating read but also has a sad ending where death is a spoiler, though many morals have been taught by an old Indian, gardener, to a young boy, who is actually the old man's master due to the rule of the day; cuacasians had a upper hand in India.