We are back with three recommended reads for September.
1. This is How It Ends
What Eva Dolan excels at is writing tales that force readers to think about the times we are living in.
Her earlier works have addressed issues of violence against transwomen and tensions around immigration.
With This is How It Ends, Dolan takes on the issue of housing rights. Her protagonist, Ella, lives as a squatter in a nearly abandoned building, whose inhabitants are slowly being forced out by property developers.
The story starts on the night when Ella is celebrating her successful campaign to raise money for a homeless shelter.
At the party is her friend Molly, and as the night progresses, Molly is called away by a distraught Ella.
Turns out, there’s a dead man in her room. They plan to hide the body in the building’s elevator shaft.
As the plot unravels, Dolan’s writing beautifully chronicles the growing mistrust between the two.
Her richly imagined plot keeps you guessing about the killer’s possible motivation.
Author: Eva Dolan
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Price: INR 499
2. Sing, Unburied, Sing
Jesmyn Ward’s latest outing comes in the form of a violent shake, reminding us of the harsh realities of the world.
The novelist, whose poetic tale, Salvage The Bones, was highly celebrated, returns with a compelling road-trip saga set in Mississippi.
At the heart of the tale, which oscillates between the past and the present, is a mixed-race family, navigating its way through discrimination, love, drugs, and slavery that mar American society.
The central character Jojo and his dynamics with his baby sister Kayla, mum Leonie, white father Michael, grandparents and a mysterious character from the past, from the backbone of the book. Ward’s character exploration is brilliant.
The narrative consciously occupies the space between the real and the imagined, and ultimately finds a raw and messy, emotionally charged expression.
With this book, Ward has strengthened her position as an influential, powerful and relevant voice in these, particularly tumultuous times. No wonder it won her the 2017 National Book Award.
Author: Jesmyn Ward
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Price: INR 499
3. Genuine Fraud
If you’ve read E Lockhart’s (Emily Jenkins) previous book, We Were Liars, wipe your mind clean of all expectations.
Genuine Fraud’s story begins at the end, with the protagonist, Jule, on the run, and each chapter there on goes back in time to explore why. T
hough confusing at first, this chronological reverse unraveling of the story does manage to make you have an answer to something, another question pops up and the suspense continues.
How did the unlikely pair of Jule and Imogen meet? Why did Imogen end her life? Why is Jule on the run? Where did she learn how to fight?
Fair warning though, some scenes may be too graphic for some readers. Although if you manage to get through them, they might reveal interesting facets of these characters.
Genuine Fraud is perfect for a weekend read and will leave you scrambling to reach the end.
Fast-paced as it is, the whodunit aspect of the plot loses steam in some parts and the book ends more with a whimper than a bang.
Author: E Lockhard
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Price: INR 399
Related Article: Paperback Profiles for July.
