The Value of Nothingness

This is a vital book for all times, its pages carrying the loving breath of mothers-their blood, dust, sweat, tears, and toil.

The setting is Nepal's Karnali, a province that's a disturbing postcard for remoteness and neglect; the narrator is a deeply empathetic pediatrician. He presents the gritty stories of remarkable, nameless women: Bhunbhune's stoic mother, who cuts the umbilical cord to give birth alone; Budhe's melody queen of an aunt, the very picture of resilience; Bhim Kaji's forgiving wife, who insists on suckling her dead baby; the quietly defiant Bhedini Kanchhi and her devotion to a three-legged lamb; a little girl's naniaama, whose presence evokes the mesmeric aura of grandmotherhood; and the irrepressible poet-philosopher "old lady Karkini." Sprinkled among these real-life stories are captivating insights from psychology, biology, history, and sociology.

The Value of Nothingness offers everything the human heart needs for an education in compassion. Like the number zero, which too plays its part here, it has the formidable power to add immeasurable worth to our lives.

"If you say, 'I will only read a handful of books in my lifetime,' make sure this is one of them."

Buddhisagar, bestselling author of Karnali Blues

Translated by Sushrut Acharya