New on shelves: 4 titles to bookmark for the week

The Eight Per Cent Solution: By Nikhil Gupta, published by Bloomsbury India, 400 pages, Rs. 699

Nikhil Gupta, an economist at a brokerage, argues that as the economy grows, so are its problems. Noting that despite rising GDP, a large section of people lives in poverty, he presents ideas on how India can achieve equitable growth.

Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments: By Hema Sukumar, published by Hachette India, 304 pages, Rs. 699

Destruction by a developer stares at a middle-class apartment block in Chennai. Its residents, navigating their own complex lives—Kamala, a dentist, Revathi, an engineer who is under pressure to get married, and Jason, a chef—come together to save it.

On Being Indian: By Amit Chaudhuri, published by Westland Books, 88 pages, Rs. 399

Part political analysis and part literary criticism, this is a deliberation on what it means to be Indian. Originally a talk delivered in 2020 at Jamia Millia Islamia, it was also published in Social Research Quarterly. Out 21 August; available on pre-order.

Sinbad and the rise of Iblis: By Kevin Missal, published by Penguin India, 240 pages, Rs. 299

The final instalment in the young author’s re-imagination of the fabled sailor Sinbad’s life and adventures. Here, he is on a quest for mystical artefacts that can save the earth—but these objects are in alternate universes. 

Also read: Life stories through the lens of illness