Tomb of Sand

THE book is dedicated to Krishna Sobti, who author Geetanjali Shree refers to as her guru and inspiration. Translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell, ‘Tomb of Sand’ is a tale woven of many threads — modern urban life, ancient history, folklore, feminism, global warming. It features an octogenarian heroine, and while paying homage to the tradition of subcontinental literature inspired by the Partition of 1947, it is a page-turner, complete with cliff-hangers and plot twists. Above all, says Rockwell, it is a love letter to the Hindi language. Engaging and funny, the book is also an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries.

A PROMOSING debut, ‘Half-Blood’ has at its centre Maya (34), a journalist in an existential mess. An adopted child of an odd Bengali couple, she must confront her past to find the meaning she craves. Set in Mumbai, Pronoti Datta draws from her own life as a scribe in the Maximum City to create interesting characters and tell their tangled, mixed-up, funny life stories. ‘Half-Blood’ is an entertaining novel about dysfunctional families, plucky survivors, mavericks and good-hearted rogues. A celebration of vitality, impurity and other true virtues of life, it addresses serious questions of community, belonging, womanhood and life, in a light-hearted yet thought-provoking manner.

BORN with a defective heart, Rajat Sodhi loves cars, cooking, nature, books, music and plays the guitar like any teenager. Without friends as he was home-schooled because of his heart, he’s lonely and depressed. Yearning for companionship, he falls in love with not one, but two girls — twins Jasmeeta and Jameela, who become his dearest friends. One day his heart stops and Rajat needs major surgery. Prolific writer Ranjit Lal, who enjoys writing for kids and ‘adults who are kids’, draws from his own life to craft a tender tale of friendship, fortitude and coming to terms with being differently-abled.