Arachnid by Aditya Modak

A brilliant blend of dystopia and surrealism, Aditya Modak’s debut novel Arachnid mirrors the common man’s fears in myriad ways. Jay Mukherjee leads a life bereft of flavour, carefully skirting the barricades placed in society by the Federation. But one day, his nightmare doesn’t cease. And with great horror, Jay realizes that his childhood fear…

The Rules of Arrangement by Anisha Bhatia

Zoya Sahni is on her way to having an outstanding marketing career. Her boss has just put up her name for a promotion that will take her straight from Bombay to New York. But when an old acquaintance pops back into her life, and her family rushes ahead to plan their arranged marriage, Zoya finds…

The Shining by Stephen King

The Overlook Hotel holds a world of promise for the Torrance family. It’s their chance to recover from old wounds and repair the cracks forming amidst them. But 5-year-old Danny is certain that the hotel will not let his father and mother salvage their marriage. In fact, the hotel and its occupants seem to have…

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Mariana is convinced that Edward Fosca, the Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge, is behind the serial killings of two students. No one seems to buy her theory, even though he seems like the most culpable suspect. He leads a secret society on campus called The Maidens. Postcards with quotes taught in his class appear amidst…

Sweethand by N. G Peltier

In this enemies-to-lovers romance fiction, N. G. Peltier draws out the rivalry between Sugar Queen, Cherisse Gooding and music producer, Kieran King. The two have known each other for decades, and barely manage remaining civil in public. But with Cherisse’s sister getting married to Kieran’s friend, they are thrown into close proximity as the wedding…

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

Catriona Morgan would’ve never come back to Edinburgh if it weren’t for her twin sister’s disappearance. When she and El swore to start a new life, far from the reaches of their haunting house, neither of them guessed just how soon their past would catch up to them. Back at 36 Westeryk Road, Cat is…

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

A heartening tale of found families, fighting for love against all odds, and time travel makes Casey McQuiston’s latest queer contemporary novel, One Last Stop, unforgettable. August Landry has spent her whole life looking for her uncle, who went missing in the 70s. Finally ready to set that part of her life aside and live…

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Andrea Tang is pretty settled in life. She has a job she is thriving at, her friends are her support system, and she leads an independent life. But it so happens that she is the last unmarried member of her generation of Tangs. Now, typical of Asian households, her relatives won’t rest easy without seeing…

The Carpet Weaver by Nemat Sadat

A historical fiction that delves into the socio-political terrain of Afghanistan in the 1970s, The Carpet Weaver is a heartrending survival story. Kanishka Nurzada is in love with his bestfriend, Maihan. But he soon realizes that the land he calls home is one where divergence is met with stringent punishment. Matters are made worse when…

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

An author with a Pulitzer Prize award, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s writing imbues a sense of delicacy to the experiences of the Vietnamese immigrant and refugee communities. In capturing their diverse stories, he takes on the responsibility of letting their lived realities manoeuvre the direction of the narrative. I was somewhat intimidated to pick up this…