We recommend: New books for the new year

The fiction list:

Age of Vice: by Deepti Kapoor: In her second novel, Kapoor pens a thriller about a New Delhi family—the Wadias—focusing on the family’s wealth and, of course, corruption. The lives of the book’s three main characters—the servant Ajay, the son Sunny and the daughter Neda—become inextricably linked when a drunk driver’s speeding Mercedes ploughs through five people sleeping on the street. The family’s political influence helps cover up the crime, driving this tale of revenge, inequality and family dysfunction. 

The Guardian says “the book has all the energy of a high-concept crime thriller” through Kapoor’s “emotional intelligence.” Publishers Weekly is certain that this “spellbinder would be easy to devour in one big gulp” and New York Times sums the hype up well: “[Kapoor has] aimed at a target, and she’s crushed that target.” (January 3)

How to Sell a Haunted House: by Grady Hendrix. This horror novel with comic relief is centred around siblings Mark and Louise Joyner—who come together to empty out and sell their family home soon after their parents’ sudden death. Family traumas are dredged up along with the junk in the house–but it’s the hundreds of dolls left behind by their obsessive mother that pose a serious threat. Emotional trauma, gore, and haunted dolls—the book has it all.

Washington Post says that Hendrix’s “relentless efficiency—and a bit of humour—forces us to confront our fears,” calling the book a “delight” with details that are “too delicious to reveal.” Kirkus Reviews praises it as the “most bitchin’ horror story by a gifted practitioner of these dark arts.” (January 17)

Hold My Girl: by Charlene Carr. Katherine has been trying to become a mother for seven years—and several failed attempts later, her dream finally comes true with Rose—born through IVF. OTOH, Tess’s journey ends in heartbreak when her child is delivered stillborn. Bu when the fertility clinic calls to confess that they mistakenly switched the two women’s eggs, the book takes an unexpected turn. This poignant exploration of motherhood and loss has already been picked up for a TV adaptation. (January 24)

Victory City: by Salman Rushdie. In 14th Century South India, nine-year-old Pampa Kampana becomes the voice of her namesake Goddess—and the creator and protector of the city Bisnaga for the next 250 years. His first book after the tragic stabbing attack, Victory City features on several ‘Most Anticipated’ lists including The Guardian and Washington Post. There aren’t many reviews out as yet—though the early verdict appears to be mixed.  Kirkus Reviews calls it “a grand entertainment, in a tale with many strands, by an ascended master of modern legends.” The Telegraph UK is more ambivalent in its praise, saying there’s much to admire about its “swift pace, unfussy structure, fluent and spirited prose”—but calls it “mercurial and uneven.” (February 7)

A poetry pick:

Judas Goat: Poems: by Gabrielle Bates. Judas Goat is Bates’ debut collection with 40 poems and is centred on an eponymous goat that lives with sheep only to lead them to slaughter while its own life is spared. Drawing on such a pain of existence, Bates explores womanhood, violence, sexuality, desire and love.  (January 24)

The non-fiction list:

What’s Gotten Into You: The Story Of Your Body's Atoms, From The Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner: by Dan Levitt. In a similar vein to Siddhartha Mukherjee’s ‘The Song of the Cell’, this book tells us the story of the atom. The sprawling book encompasses everything from the Big Bang to our DNA and the food we eat–and offers delightful wisdom about the many scientists who powered these discoveries. Kirkus Reviews calls it “lively, illuminating popular science” while Publishers Weekly commends Levitt’s “stellar debut” with just one word: “marvelous.” (January 24)

Transitional: In One Way or Another, We All Transition: by Munroe Bergdorf. Writer and activist Bergdorf transitioned in 2009 and held the idea that her identity—her gender—is based on how others saw her. In this exploration of transition, she explores how it is a universal experience—not limited to trans people—and that everyone undergoes changes. In her memoir, she dives into society’s views on change, especially in adolescence, sexuality, gender, relationships, identity, and race. (February 1)

The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions: by Greta Thunberg. One of the world’s leading—and youngest—climate activists Greta Thunberg puts together the thoughts and expertise of 100 climate experts. She emphasises the urgency for the need to tackle this phenomenon with the help of inputs from those who have the knowledge for it—including geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists, historians and more.

The Guardian says it is “superb at explaining the urgency and importance of preventing climate change” but points out that “there is little pragmatism over what to do about now-certain changes, which means it feels like a book whose time was 10 years ago.”  (February 14)

Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away with It: by Elie Honig. This is a book about the ways in which powerful people escape the confines of the legal system. Elie Honig, looks at how various figures like Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby eluded justice for decades. Unsurprisingly, former President Donald Trump is a key focus in this book. Elie examines the different strategies used by powerful people to dodge and bend the rules to get away scot-free (spoiler alert: it’s not just money).

Kirkus Reviews says the book is a “distressing account of how power often trumps justice within the American criminal justice system.” (January 31)

Special mention: Spare: by Prince Harry. Simply put, this book is the former Royal Family member’s memoir of his life in the British institution. It is his recollection of all the wrongdoings on their part, and the mistakes on his—and also his attempt at exploring his relationship with his brother, the impact of his mother's death and his current life with wife Meghan Markle and their children.. 

The reviews have not held back from calling out the sheer absurdity of this book. BBC News calls it “the weirdest book ever written by a royal” and The Guardian called it a “misfiring memoir [that is] not only tone-deaf to his privilege but at times downright bizarre.” New York Times is of the opinion that “the royal memoir is mired in a paradox: drawing endless attention in an effort to renounce fame.”