Lockdown readling recommendations by Aanchal Malhotra
Oral historian and writer Aanchal Malhotra, author of Remnants of Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory, puts together a Reading List that comprises tales of history, science fiction, and love
by R KrithikaHow We Disappeared by Jing-jing Lee
These days, I am reading Jing-jing Lee’s début novel, which is set partly during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during the Second World War and partly in present day, navigating between the storylines of Wang D, compelled to become a comfort woman during the war and a 12-year-old Kevin in present-day Singapore, trying to uncover the mystery behind his grandmother’s secret deathbed confession. Lee’s prose is urgent and nuanced. She’s able to write about her characters in a way that leaves them lingering around you for hours after.
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
I would highly recommend this title by Yoko Ogawa, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020 — I read it late into the night and was charmed by Ogawa’s skillful exploration of all the things that inevitably disappear, both physically and from memory, on an unnamed island.
The Deoliwallahs by Joy Ma and Dilip D’Souza
Co-written by Joy Ma and Dilip D’Souza, the book sheds light on a forgotten chapter of Indian history and details the story of several thousand Chinese Indians incarcerated in the Deoli Camp in Rajasthan in the 1960s.
The Heart Seeks Pleasure First by Karuna Ezara Parikh
Lastly, I would recommend Karuna Ezara Parikh’s forthcoming début novel. Parikh is first and foremost a poet, and through her finessed prose, she tells the love story of Indian Daya and Pakistani Aaftab, and in turn, speaks to the frailty of our times.
We would love to know how you are keeping busy at home. Tell us what you are watching live at metro@thehindu.co.in.