It has been a while since we have seen a story about Kerala, written in English and replete with its local flavour and fervour.As a result Binoo K. John’s new book catches one’s eye. Known for his three previous books, all non-fiction: two travelogues about Malabar and Cherrapunji and one on the English language in India…
In the speedily democratizing world of Indian writing in English, the Mystery of the Missing Crime Thriller remains more or less unsolved. H.R.F. Keating’s Inspector Ghote was just granted a new lease of life, but never managed to captivate audiences the way Feluda could in his translated avatar. More recently…
Jahnavi Barua’s Rebirth reminds one of love poetry where the inner landscape of the narrator is mapped on to the outer landscape that sometimes reveals and sometimes affects the states of his/her heart. In this novel, which travels from disappoint-ment to grief to placidity to hope, the landscapes of Bangalore…
Aneesha Capur’s debut novel Stealing Karma seems to have a fascinating and winning combination. The author is an Indian born, Nairobi bred writer settled in the U.S. She weaves a story of an Indian girl, Mira married to the slightly older Prashant Sharma and living in Nairobi with her baby girl, Shanti…
Mice in Men is Anirban Bose’s second fictional offering. From a strictly market-oriented point of view, it might be seen as something of the proverbial acid test. The second book, after all, is seen as being responsible for establishing an author’s reputation. At first impression then, Bose takes a chance with his second book…
Not having read Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla’s first novel Ode to Lata, I approached his second one, The Exiles, with some trepidation. Let me at the outset, quite candidly, place my own prejudices on record: I have, of late, turned a bit wary, if not weary, of reading endless stories of listless exile, especially that of the Indian diaspora…