Reviews of Fiction and Non-Fiction Books by The Hindu seo.section.displayname=Book Reviews - The Hindu

A panel from the book

Shades of the macabre: Review of Vault Comics’ ‘The Picture of Everything Else’

Aswin V.N. A compelling graphic novel set in the bloody, artsy, decadent 1890s, with stunning illustrations to match

‘Brand New Nation’ review: Illusion of a makeover

Sudhirendar Sharma The populist nature of India’s new image building, driven by necessary infusion of global capital, has led to a plural society becoming polarised, argues Ravinder Kaur

Series of thumbnails: Latha Anantharaman reviews ‘The Banyan and Her Roots’

Latha Anantharaman A collection of South Asian voices that leaves nothing much to write home about

‘Himalayan Challenge: India, China and the Quest for Peace’ review: The search for a new modus vivendi with China

Ananth Krishnan

Subramanian Swamy makes a case for reassessing India’s relationship with China

‘If Then’ review: The not-so-subtle art of creating data Frankensteins

With the help of research, Jill Lepore profiles Simulmatics Corporation and its manipulative ways which continue to haunt the globe

Something rich and strange: Review of ‘A Thousand Cranes for India: Reclaiming Plurality amid Hatred’

Nahla Nainar Using the crane as metaphor for solidarity in these fractured times, each of the pieces in this anthology quietly provokes thought

‘Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction’ review: An incomplete critique of present-day turbulence

N.S. Gundur Arundhati Roy is at her best in the essays that have been written through the eyes of a novelist, and not those of a political commentator

Life before men: Vineetha Mokkil reviews Bina Shah’s ‘Before She Sleeps’

Vineetha Mokkil A feminist sci-fi novel from the rare non-Western perspective

‘My Years with Rajiv’ review: Working with Rajiv Gandhi

‘Service Uninterrupted: Memoirs of M.M. Rajendran’ review: Stories from the steel frame

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‘If Then’ review: The not-so-subtle art of creating data Frankensteins

society Reviews

‘Brand New Nation’ review: Illusion of a makeover

‘Himalayan Challenge: India, China and the Quest for Peace’ review: The search for a new modus vivendi with China

Graphic Novel Books

Shades of the macabre: Review of Vault Comics’ ‘The Picture of Everything Else’

Short Stories Books

Series of thumbnails: Latha Anantharaman reviews ‘The Banyan and Her Roots’

‘Service Uninterrupted: Memoirs of M.M. Rajendran’ review: Stories from the steel frame

‘My Years with Rajiv’ review: Working with Rajiv Gandhi

A bureaucrat recalls the experience of being in the PMO under a school friend who became Prime Minister, touching on every subject from Bofors to Babri

‘Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction’ review: An incomplete critique of present-day turbulence

Arundhati Roy is at her best in the essays that have been written through the eyes of a novelist, and not those of a political commentator

‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ by John le Carré

From the day his third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, was published in 1963, John le Carré realised that he was to be branded “the spy

Something rich and strange: Review of ‘A Thousand Cranes for India: Reclaiming Plurality amid Hatred’

Using the crane as metaphor for solidarity in these fractured times, each of the pieces in this anthology quietly provokes thought

Life before men: Vineetha Mokkil reviews Bina Shah’s ‘Before She Sleeps’

A feminist sci-fi novel from the rare non-Western perspective

City of the ragged heart: Review of M. Mukundan’s ‘Delhi: A Soliloquy’

M. Mukundan’s trademark melancholy suffuses his brilliant depiction of Delhi and Delhi Malayalis

Year of calamity and a new normal

The non-fiction titles reflected on the pandemic, and with too many countries taking an authoritarian turn, several writers looked to the past to explain the present

Top 10 non-fiction books of 2020

Here’s our top 10 non-fiction books of the year, in no particular order, and by no means the last word on it

‘Nothing to Lose’ review: In search of a story

Ma Anand Sheela’s authorised biography fails to shed light on her life or Rajneesh

‘The Loss Of Hindustan: The Invention Of India’ review: Land of many histories

Manan Ahmed Asif boldly tackles the question of present-day prejudices, whether Hindutva or Muslim majoritarianism in the sub-continent

‘What We Carry’ review: Cracks under the surface

A mother-daughter relationship examines family ties and its inherent burdens

‘The Fury of Covid-19: The Politics, Histories, and Unrequited Love of the Coronavirus’ review: Making sense of the present

A historian turns to the past to explain the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on society

‘Karunanidhi: The Definitive Biography’ review: The life of Karunanidhi and a history of Tamil Nadu

Politician, journalist, writer, film-maker, orator — a biographer brings out the multifaceted personality of the DMK stalwart and five-time Chief Minister, warts and all

Ferns on her sador: Vaishna Roy reviews Arupa Patangia Kalita’s ‘The Loneliness of Hira Barua’

Cataloguing customs and manners, these simple stories say something more

Breakfast with Kuttan: Review of Usha Rajagopalan’s ‘The Zoo in My Backyard’

Delightful stories of an eccentric family and their love for animals

‘Rebels with a Cause: Famous Dissenters and Why They are Not Being Heard’ review: Engaging with dissenting ideas

Why it is important to listen to writers and thinkers from Arundhati Roy to Yanis Varoufakis

‘The Fragrance of Tears: My Friendship with Benazir Bhutto’ review: A friendship that shaped two lives across continents

Victoria Schofield writes a ‘tribute’ to Benazir Bhutto, marked by loyalty, keeping out the controversies that blighted the former Pakistan Prime Minister’s career

‘A Promised Land’ review: The audacity of hope

Barack Obama plays observer, analyst and judge as he looks back at his historic time in the White House, where he chose to be a pragmatic centrist

Shoot or scoot: Fredrik Backman’s ‘Anxious People’

A funny hostage drama that also teaches a few life lessons

Stop thief: Zac O’Yeah reviews Gautam S. Mengle’s ‘Intersections’ and three other thrillers

Four crime novels that could do with a dose of steroids

The enchantress of Naples: Elena Ferrante’s ‘The Lying Life of Adults’ reviewed by Geeta Doctor

Elena Ferrante’s stories are all the same and yet she impresses with each telling

‘Jugalbandi: The BJP before Modi’ review: Hindutva’s birth and growth

A historian writes a ‘revisionist’ account of the rise of Hindu nationalism through the lives of Vajpayee and Advani, challenging accepted notions

‘Full Spectrum: India’s Wars, 1972-2020’ review: Neighbourhood and internal wars in contemporary times

A military historian unravels Indian army operations, shrouded in secrecy, from the Naga, Mizo insurgencies to efforts in Sri Lanka, Kargil and Doklam

‘Courage, Conviction, Controversy and Cricket’ review: The game of life

An anthology of events surrounding cricket, on and off the field

Yet the pity of it: Tabish Khair reviews Sandeep Raina’s ‘A Bit of Everything’

A novel driven by the need to confront, record and understand the never-ending tragedy of Kashmir

Thugs of Hindustan: Review of Siddhartha Sarma’s ‘Twilight in a Knotted World’

An unputdownable novel that is as much about today as about the past

Brown man’s burden: Review of Stephen Alter’s ‘Feral Dreams’

Uses Mowgli’s story to take a hard look at some persistent concerns

‘Fossil Free: Reimagining Clean Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World’ review: A green new deal

To deliver on its renewable energy promise, India needs more reforms

‘Why I am Not a Hindu Woman’ review: The ‘othering’ of women, Dalits and savarna trauma

Drawing on lived experience, Wandana Sonalkar explains the concerns about Hinduism as it is practised today, including misogyny, caste and violence

‘Preparing for Death’ review: Intimations of mortality

Through the lives of great minds, Arun Shourie reflects on the inevitability of death, providing instructions for the head and balm for the heart

Reality bites: Review of Udayan Mukherjee’s ‘Essential Items: Stories from a Land in Lockdown’

Udayan Mukherjee uses the lockdown as a touchstone to bring out our best, worst and most fragile selves

Pin grows up: Shuma Raha reviews Balli Kaur Jaswal’s ‘Sugarbread’

A heart-warming story, with the clash of cultures, which is the usual staple of diaspora novels, kept at a low key

Illustrative and illuminating: Review of ‘Wild Tastes in Asia’ by Madhu Ramnath and Ramon Razal

The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs and written with an extraordinary sensitivity

‘The Case for Degrowth’ review: Resetting the clock post-COVID and trying to live with less

Four writers argue that the pandemic should make economies reject political systems that pursue growth that places wealth in the hands of a few

‘Pandyan Nindraseer Nedumaran’ review: A warrior-king and his legacy

Two historians study resources from inscriptions to literary references for a biography on the reign of Pandya king Nedumaran

‘Portraits of Power: Half a Century of Being at Ringside’ review: Bureaucrat, politician, bon vivant

A personal narrative of N.K. Singh’s career, including stints in various ministries and the Vajpayee PMO, throws light on Indian policymaking at its best

Alt-right, centre stage: Review of Hari Kunzru’s ‘Red Pill’

A chilling record of a writer’s descent into the heart of post-truth madness

Jack of hurts: Review of Marilynne Robinson’s ‘Jack’

A meditation on choice, predestination and the possibility of change

Pretty as porcelain: Review of Anukrti Upadhyay’s ‘Kintsugi’

... and just as lifeless, this book fails to leave a lasting impression

The heart wants more: Review of Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta’s ‘Those Delicious Letters’

The author does equal justice to food, fact and fiction and yet...

‘Making India Great: The Promise of a Reluctant Global Power’ review: Cause and effect: Hyper-nationalism and other blips

A writer examines whether the Modi government’s shift towards more majoritarian policies will undermine India’s grand ambitions on the global stage

‘Words Sounds Images: A History of Media and Entertainment in India’ review: Brave new digital age

An insider writes a sweeping history of the media and entertainment industry in India, warts and all

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