Meera Nair's Blog, page 12

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 of spiders has surfaced again, threatening to engulf the world as he knows it.

I couldn’t set this book down, and so I read it in one sitting. Th...

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi

The sequel to The Henna Artist begins years later, placing Lakshmi and Malik in a different phase of their lives. Malik, having completed his education, has been sent back to Jaipur to learn the ways of business. However, this endeavour is made bittersweet by him having to leave behind Nimmi, a tribal woman he grew attached to in Shimla.

When Nimmi inadvertently gets involved in a smuggling racket, Lakshmi & Jay find themselves stepping in to save her and her children. Malik, on the other h...

Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier

Lady Dona, fed up with her married life, flees to the countryside in search of solace. Navron House proves to be the respite she has been searching for when her paths cross that of a Frenchman, who is being chased by the townsfolk for being a pirate. And so begins her adventure, away from the prying eyes of the town.

While Dona’s story in itself didn’t really speak to me as much, it’s Daphne du Maurier’s writing that kept me reading the book. The passages have an easy rhythm, there are a lot ...

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 herself unable to shatter her family’s aspirations.

It’s great to see more and more Indian representation in such typical rom-com novels. And that is what drew me to the book. From the synopsis, Zoya...

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.

Image Courtesy – Goodreads

In fact, the hotel and its occupants seem to have begun a nefarious plot to make the Torrance family a part of them forever. The Shining is a novel far removed from the realms of ordinary horror. It is...

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 the victims’ belongings. So, to protect her niece Zoe from becoming a victim of Fosca’s murderous rage, Mariana takes it upon herself to prove his guilt.

The ambie...

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 planning responsibilities land on their shoulders.

Right from the beginning, the story is predictable. Despite the main characters insistin...

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 confronted by the dark truth of her and El’s childhood. Mirrorland, a world they had created for themselves holds much more than just their imagination. The pirates and witches who were a part of...

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 for herself, she moves to NYC, hoping to be carried along with the bustle of the city. But what she finds on one subway ride opens her up to the possibility of larger forc...

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Image Courtesy – Goodreads

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 Andrea tie the knot. Although this is the last of her worries. She is on the brink of making partner at her law firm and can’t let any distractions prove to b...