STOLEN YEARS
Author: Pavit Kaur
Stolen Years is a collection of the memoirs of Simranjit Singh Mann, a prominent figure during Operation Blue Star and his time in prison, as recorded by his daughter. It is a deeply personal account, expressing his sufferings, the trauma experienced by his family, and how it overturned their lives. Pavit Kaur brings a private and emotional touch and allowing her readers to feel the same.
Publication: Random House India; Pages:239; Rs.399
LOSING MY RELIGION
Author: Vishwas Mudagal
Rishi, the protagonist of this book, starts off as a successful entrepreneur in the gaming arena, but experiences a downfall after his initial achievements. Instead of attempting to remedy this, he chooses to lose himself in the carefree life introduced to him by the hippie figure Alex. Travel is a major theme in this book and Mudagal's vivid descriptions transport the reader to various locations. And of course, there is a love story with fellow gamer Kyra, who also hides a strange secret.
Publication: Fingerprint; Pages:350; Rs.199
TWILIGHT OF THE EASTERN GODS
Author: Ismail Kadre
Twilight of the Easter Gods explores literature through a fictionalised account. Set in Soviet Russia of the 1950s where he was a student, Kadare draws from his own experiences to narrate a story about the difference between reality and what was being structured as reality in literature through censorship and dictated, unbending principles. He is a keen observer who seems to constantly tread the line between historical fact and fantastical fiction.
Publication: Canongate; Pages: 193; Rs.599
J
Author: Howard Jacobson
Science fiction often attempts to engage with the known through the lens of the future. J is one such novel, where the futuristic dystopian world it creates is familiar, yet strangely unnerving. The constant attempt of this world to detach itself from history evokes the same feelings of loss and lack of control that the two protagonists feel. Their love for each other is humorous in how we relate to it, but sinister when placed within its context. Indirectly, the book concerns itself with the history of Jews and the Holocaust in particular.
Publication: Jonathan Cape London; Pages:327; Rs.599
(Arrangement with THE MAN)