The Last Color
Vikas Khanna
Bloomsbury, 2018, Rs 499, pp 246
Set in Varanasi, this book tells the tale of the bond shared by Choti, a tight-rope walker, and Noor, a widow. While Noor encourages Choti to educate herself and fight for her rights, Choti promises Noor that they will celebrate the next Holi together.
Illiberal India
Chidanand Rajghatta
Westland, 2018, Rs 499, pp 216
Gauri Lankesh was shot to death, following the method of previous murders of M M Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar. The murder chilled the nation, sparking off protests. Even as the police unravels the plot, the larger forces that killed these activists continue to grow.
That Bird Called Happiness
Nabendu Ghosh, edited by Ranottama Sengupta
Speaking Tiger, 2018, Rs 350, pp 264
Ghosh masterfully traces the inscrutable ways of the human heart. The reigning queen of Bombay cinema allows a younger leading man to fall in love with her to spite her husband. A student falls in love with the Nawab’s Begum as she dictates him letters to her husband.
Who Owns That Song?
A R Venkatachalapathy
Juggernaut, 2018, Rs 599, pp 192
Subramania Bharati, a prominent Tamil poet of all time, gained fame only after his death. A V Meiyappan bought his works and sued those who used it in their films. This led to a struggle, which sought to the nationalisation of the writer’s work.
Koi Good News?
Zarreen Khan
Harper Collins, 2018, Rs 250, pp 382
Mona marries her college sweetheart Ramit. They are in no hurry to be parents, and are battling the intrusive questions of ‘good news’. Eventually, Mona gets pregnant and then begins the crazy journey with interfering relatives, and nosy neighbours.
The Climate Solution
Mridula Ramesh
Hachette, 2018, Rs 550, pp 325
For most of us, the odds seem overwhelming, and solutions out of reach. Yet, this climate-change practitioner emphasises that while the situation is grim, it is not without hope. Timely, urgent and thought-provoking, this book is an urgent call to action.
A Firefly in the Dark
Shazaf Fatima Haidar
Speaking Tiger, 2018, Rs 299, pp 231
Sharmeen’s life is disrupted when after an unexpected tragedy, she moves into her Nani’s rambling ancestral bungalow with her family. She hates the new life. Her only solace is the fantastical stories of jinns told by her Nani. Soon, the dormant unseen forces start to awaken and Sharmeen meets her personal jinn!
Supreme Whispers
Abhinav Chandrachud
Penguin, 2018, Rs 599, pp 303
In 1980, an American scholar met five judges of the Supreme Court of India. The judges gave him astonishing details about what they actually thought of their colleagues, about the workings and the politics of the court. Relying on those interviews, the author sheds light on a decade of politics, decision making and legal culture of the apex court.