KATHMANDU: Nepalaya, the book publication house, launched Sarala Gautam's deubt novel 'Dumero' amid COVID-19 crisis, in Kathmandu, on Thursday.

In a statement today, Nepalaya said, the novel is a coming-of-age story of a small town girl, trying to find her identity and voice in the larger world.

"The title Dumero itself is a dialectic word, which loosely translates to a restless seeker," said the author, Sarala Gautam, who is a noticeable social critique covering newspaper columns over pertinent socio-political issues.

"The word has a certain phonetic appeal," says the author, "but moreover, it also carries a symbolic meaning. A woman's identity has always been saddled with domesticity. But we are standing at the crossroads of history, where men and women don't have precisely defined gender roles anymore. It is necessary for us to hear and tell the story of these individuals who are struggling to find purpose and strength in this brave world," says the author in the statement.

The book 'Dumero' is priced at Rs 495 in the Nepali market and will be available at all leading bookstores across the nation.

According to the statement, digital copy of the book can be purchased from www.thuprai.com and will be available worldwide on Amazon.com.