The Pig Flip: By Joshy Benedict, Translated by K.K. Muralidharan, Harper Collins India, 120 pages, Rs. 499
Originally published in Malayalam, this graphic novel by Joshy Benedict has now been translated into English. Benedict’s debut novel is about gambling, addiction, rebellion and the oddities of social mores. The detailed artwork and colours add layers to this story.
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The Oxford Handbook of Caste: Edited by Surinder S. Jodhka and Jules Naudet, Oxford University Press, 682 pages, Rs. 4,000
Caste is always in the news, and in this volume more than 40 scholars from a range of disciplines write about different aspects of this fossilised practice. The essays provide new perspective and explore ideas of citizenship, identity, empowerment and lived reality.
Hot Stage: By Anita Nair, Harper Collins India, 444 pages, Rs. 499
ACP Borei Gowda is back, and this time it is to solve the murder of Professor Mudgood, a well-known rationalist and right-wing critic. Anita Nair brings the seedy side of Bengaluru to the fore in her series about a middle-aged Bengaluru policeman who, over the course of three books, throws off his ennui to grow into a sharp investigator.
The Girl in the Magical Flute: By Meena Arora Naik, Illustrated by Priya Kuriyan, Aleph Book Company, 192 pages, Rs. 599
Meena Arora Naik gives folk tales a twist in this book that draws from various oral and religious traditions. There are mainstream fables such as Ram’s floating bridge to Lanka as well as lesser known legends from Meghalaya. The 19 stories would entertain children as well as adults.
Becoming Goan: By Michelle Mendonça Bambawale, Penguin Random House India, 288 pages, Rs. 399
To inherit a house in Goa is probably everyone’s dream but when Bambawale moved into her family home in Siolim, she wasn’t entirely prepared for living in a village. A book that combines her own understanding of culture with the history of the village, it is about coming to terms with change.
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