Thankam breaks all the unwritten laws of widowhood in Kerala: she refuses to become invisible or opt for a half-life of prayer and looking after grandchildren. She even dares to take on a young lover.Set against the famous backwaters of Kochi in Kerala, this is the story of one courageous, feisty woman at odds with a conservative and judgemental community.ANAND NAIR lives in Purley in Surrey. A Streak of Sandalwood is her first novel.