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A no holds barred interview could cost him his friendship, actor John K had never imagined. Riding high on the success of his first major film, he lets his ego get the better of him. The fallout shatters the life of his college friend, Asghar Abbasi, who is forced to rediscover his true calling — the stage. John wants to claw his way back into his friend’s life. Restrained and incisive, ‘The Comeback’ is a story of the price of betrayal, friendship and forgiveness, second chances, and the transformative power of art.

Following the death of its owner, a dog is thrown out of the house by his evil relatives. But a dedicated lawyer fights for its right to continue residing in his deceased owner’s mansion. The epic battle, fought from the courts all the way to Parliament, ends with dogs being granted equal rights as any other family member. With this verdict in mind, a couple decides not to have a second child and instead adopt a streetie to ‘brother’ their only daughter. And heaven and hell, joy and sadness, all break loose.

This is an unusual kind of Covid book. When the pandemic isolated us all in March 2020, C and R — old friends, parents of young children, academics, and writers — turned to each other. Writing letters to each other, they found their way through family estrangement, tense racial dynamics, gender transitions, chronic pain, dramatic career changes, and activist campaigns. These letters serve as both historical document and activist call, an inspiring testament to the power of friendship to give us the courage to change.

The disappearance of one woman, Mudritha, reveals how so many other women had wanted to slip away, travel and touch the world beyond the mundane confines of their existence. The book explores women’s lives: their desires, ambitions, love, anger, and attempts to resist and rise above the encroachment over their bodies and souls. Set in contemporary Kerala, the novel is a compelling portrait of women and the sojourns they make to find themselves.