Book Reviews - Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

No Such Thing as Monday by Sian Hughes – book review

Daddy`s girl: the sister who stayed Of survivor’s guilt and sisterly silence This slim volume packs a hefty punch. Sian Hughes whose earlier novel `Pearl` was longlisted for the Booker Prize, spins a tale that will have the reader so engrossed, they will need to shake themselves out of the book-induced reverie when they finally…

For the Love of Stories by Wendy Doniger – book review

A life richly lived Coincidentally enough, I am reading the memoirs of two eminent historians at the same time, Romila Thapar`s `Just Being` and this book I`m reviewing, Wendy Doniger`s `For the Love of Stories.` The former attends a talk by the latter and remarks that it was both entertaining and provocative. And that`s…

Twilight in Musashino by Seicho Matsumoto

Web of Deceit It takes special skill as a crime writer to keep a reader engaged despite revealing who the perpetrator is halfway through the book. This is the case in ‘Twilight in Musashino.’ Then again, the author Seicho Matsumoto is no ordinary crime novelist. He is a veteran, the founding father of Shakaiha or…

Just Being by Romila Thapar

JUST FINISHED READING what was arguably my best read of 2026, so far, Romila Thapar`s memoir JUST BEING, Seagull Books. This tome of a little more than 700 pages details the pre-eminent historian`s life of formidable achievements in the nine decades of her life, all of it driven by a curious uber-intelligent mind, the privilege…

Book review: The Fragrance of Rain by Stephen Alter

Monsoon magicking This is Stephen Alter chasing the monsoon, taking us along with him. He adopts a freewheeling approach, first walking us through the pre-monsoon winds in the Doon Valley where he lives. The pictures he draws are sharp, verging on violent: `…as the storm closed in on the mountains, I could feel the energy…

Book review: The First House by Avni Doshi

Falling apart Avni Doshi`s debut work, `Burnt Sugar,` was a reflective look at family relationships, specifically the relationship between a woman and her daughter. This book, her second novel, is another look through the slightly fogged-up window of a family home, to the persistent accompaniment of cicadas in the garden vegetation, and a slightly creepy…

Book review: The View from Here, edited by Githa Hariharan and K. Satchidanandan

Singing in dark times Each story and poem in this anthology works as both a snapshot and a time capsule of a particular part of India. The editors, Githa Hariharan and K. Satchidanandan, have selected the short stories as well as the poems from the respected literary journal Guftugu, and the accounts adroitly entwine the…

Book review: Soul Climate by Ines Baranay

A soul connection If, like this reviewer, you are not too familiar with the work of the late Turkish writer, activist and Member of Parliament Halide Edib Adivar, this book by Ines Baranay will make you seek Halide`s books out. At a time when the ties between India and Turkiye have frayed, Baranay has explored the connection between the two, through Halide’s visit…

Book review: Under Water by Tara Menon

Remembrance of loss Tara Menon`s debut work is a neat example of tightly controlled story-telling, where as much simmers below the surface as it does, if you will excuse the pun, above sea level. We watch the protagonist Marissa wandering aimlessly through the streets of downtown NYC on a day of impending disaster, when a…

Book review: The Saree Eternal by Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri

Deconstructing the drape In this Essential India monograph from Aleph Books, former diplomat Lakshmi Murdershwar Puri looks at saris and their genealogy. Choosing the personal route, Puri invites readers to step up to her almirah of saris and proceeds to give the backstory to each drape. The sari is the oldest surviving garment in the…