Books to check out

book review, big sky, kate atkinson, books, Parvathi Ramkumar

The Offing

Benjamin Myers

Bloomsbury, 2019, pp 272, Rs 550

One summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village. Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he heads to Robin Hood’s Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea.

Flawed

Pavan C Lall

Hachette, 2019, pp 240, Rs 399

As the Nirav Modi saga — complete with his arrest on international soil, rejected bail pleas, extradition theatrics — continues to make headlines, Flawed recounts the rise of a global player and his equally dramatic fall.

A Beginner’s Guide to Japan

Pico Iyer

Penguin, 2019, pp 288, Rs 499

After 32 years in Japan, Pico Iyer can use everything from anime to Oscar Wilde to show how his adopted home is both hauntingly familiar and the strangest place on earth. He draws on readings, reflections and conversations with Japanese friends to illuminate an unknown place for newcomers.

True Colours

Kristin Hannah

Pan Macmillan, 2019, pp 544, Rs 399

The Grey sisters have always looked after one another. Growing up on a sprawling ranch with an emotionally distant father, they had nowhere else to turn after their mother died. Compelling and provocative, this is an unforgettable novel about jealousy, betrayal, passion and forgiveness.

The Promise of India

Jaimini Bhagwati

Penguin, 2019, 416, Rs 799

In this first-of-its-kind book, Jaimini Bhagwati analyses the key political, foreign policy and economic decisions of all the premiers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, to understand how well they steered the nation on the path of progress and development.

Destiny’s Flowers

Kajoli Khanna

Roli Books, 2019, pp 288, Rs 350

Destiny’s Flowers ushers us through the journeys of Urmilla, Pema and Atish, who unwittingly find their destinies intertwined. It’s the story of a spiritual detective, a raging nun and the boy on the run. It’s an explorative quest about human error, healing and forgiveness.

Strange

Shreya Sen-Handley

Harper Collins, 2019, pp 208, Rs 350

The stories in Shreya Sen-Handley’s Strange are about everyday people whose lives take unforeseen turns. Suddenly, they find themselves drawn inexorably into encounters and situations that weren’t part of their plan, but which result in the shocking revelation of buried parts of their psyches.

In Search of Heer

Manjul Bajaj

Tranquebar, 2019, pp 300, Rs 399

Told from multiple perspectives, set against the lush riverbanks and rugged countryside of West Punjab, this is a wise, passionate and lyrical retelling of one of the subcontinent’s most beloved epics. A rich cast of characters play their part in bringing this stirring story to life.