What are the motifs in Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Purnaiya Taylor?

A recurring idea is infidelity. The presence of Kenny throughout these chapters in the book also brings to Rukmani’s character a shroud of mystery. While she visits Kenny to help her conceive her sons, she never provides detail as to what sort of procedure was done. It may have been she herself did not understand it—there is much evidence throughout the novel that Kenny and Rukmani exist in very different worlds with very different opinions of each other. He does not hide his disgust of the simple mindedness of the villagers (and specifically Rukmani) or their refusal to ask for help as they go through hardship after hardship.