Book Reviews

Languorous Unfoldings

Somak Ghoshal

An anthology by young writers that spans Mughal nostalgia to present dystopias

A Case of Indian Marvels: Dazzling Stories from the Country’s Finest New Writers

Edited by David Davidar

In the Name of the Lord: A Nun’s Tell-All

Sister Lucy Kalapura | Translated by Nandakumar K

Speaking from the Cloisters

Nikhita Thomas

A chronicle of the life of a nun and her fight for justice

Best of Friends

Kamila Shamsie

Kamila Shamsie: The Anatomy of a Friendship

Nandini Nair

In her new novel, Kamila Shamsie moves between Karachi of the late 1980s and London of today. She speaks to Open about how childhood bonds can fray and strengthen over time

Reform Nation: From the Constraints of PV Narasimha Rao to Tte Convictions of Narendra Modi

Gautam Chikermane

The Rewards of Ambition

Rajeev Deshpande

How India moved from coercive controls to economic freedom

Hindutva and Violence: VD Savarkar and the Politics of History

Vinayak Chaturvedi

Mapping the Hindu Mind

Rajshree Chandra

Understanding VD Savarkar’s political thought through his idea of history

Ambedkar: A Life

Shashi Tharoor

In a new biography of Ambedkar, Shashi Tharoor gets a measure of the constitutionalist and nation-builder, contending that an honest survey of Ambedkar’s life and its impact needs to also look at those faults for which he can be legitimately criticised without taking away from his greatness

Mayabharata: The Untold Story Behind the Death of Lord Krishna

Meghnad Desai

Can God Die?

Arshia Sattar

War and morality in the Mahabharata

Ricky Reel: Silence is Not an Option

Sukhdev Reel

Who Killed My Son?

Ullekh NP

An Indian-origin mother chronicles her 25-year-long battle for justice in the UK

In Nehru’s India: A History in Seven Myths

Taylor C Sherman

Jawaharlal Nehru: The Man and the Myth

Siddharth Singh

The rediscovery of Jawaharlal Nehru

Between You, Me & The Four Walls: The Social Butterfly Bulletin

Moni Mohsin

Moni Mohsin: Flights of the Butterfly

Bhavya Dore

Moni Mohsin returns with her party-going, status-chasing, protagonist. She tells Bhavya Dore why she looks at Pakistani society through a gossipy socialite