Women Extraordinaire;Suchita Malik, Rupa, Rs.295.
A saga of the Partition and its aftermath seen through the eyes of Kaushalya — the sole heiress to a large fortune, a girl who dares to dream and live life on her own terms — and her family. The book narrates the tale of the lives of three women of indomitable spirit, all of whom refuse to crumble under pressure or give up in the face of cruel fate.
Residue;Nitasha Kaul, Rupa, Rs.500.
The story of two Kashmiris, living on different continents, who meet in Berlin and begin a journey of discovery. It is the story of divided lands and fortress continents, lines inked in blood and memory, and the absences they create in people’s lives and imaginations.
Aavarana;S.L. Bhyarappa, Translated by Sandeep Balakrishna, Rupa, Rs.395.
Lakshmi, a free-spirited filmmaker, breaks ties with her father to marry Amir, the man she loves. However, she is shocked to discover that her husband is not the open-minded, progressive individual he claimed to be. This sets her off on a personal journey into India’s history to uncover the many layers of religion, caste and creed.
A Dirge for the Damned;Vishwas Patil, Translated by Keerti Ramachandra, Hachette India, Rs.450.
The people of Jambhli are displaced to clear the way for an irrigation project. But they are promised rehabilitation and compensation in cash and land. In their quest for a home, they battle wily politicians, selfish social workers, even the worst sort of betrayal. Heartbreaking and relevant, this novel encapsulates the struggles of the impoverished against a ruthless, corporatised world.
Vow;Wendy Plump, Bloomsbury, Rs.299.
In Vow , Wendy Plump explores infidelity from the perspective of both betrayer and betrayed. She relates the story of her husband’s affairs and her own. While it garners full points on the honesty scale, Vow is more of a detailed journal of faithlessness in a marriage than a tale of love, loss, betrayal and lies. It somehow fails to garner the reader’s sympathy due to its sheer inertia.
