BOOKS | SEEMA
PRATIKA YASHASWI
O
ne of the best things about all the wonderful work that came out this year is that most of it was great, and a lot of it came from talented women writing from heretofore quieter parts of the diaspora. We have work by the South Asian Malaysian diaspora with Fragile Monsters by Catherine Menon; and a collection of stories by Indo-Caribbean authors, who come from 150 years of history. They ask harder questions of readers and pit them against some incredibly difficult emotions. Questions of race, caste, gender, sexuality, religion and discrimination come up a lot in all genres but are dealt with
grace, never preaching. Science fiction and fantasy is a particularly thriving genre, where we have South Asians recognizing their unique place in history, where pandemics, climate change and the rise of nationalist governments is meeting in a world that looks more and more like the apocalypse with every passing day. Yet fiction does one thing better than anything else, even as it forces us to contend with ugly truths: it shows us our humanity and asks us to be better. This year has been a great one for writing, with work that ultimately serves to further the limits of what fiction can achieve. We’re warning you! The books on this list are absolutely irresistible.
ADULT LITERARY FICTION SPARKS LIKE STARS by Nadia Hashimi What tipped Afghanistan into decades of conflict? This is the question that inspired pediatrician and author Nadia Hashimi to write this book. Aged 10, Sitara Zamani, the only surviving member of a prominent Afghan family murdered during a coup in 1978 Kabul, is rescued and adopted by an American diplomat. She goes on to grow up in America and becomes a renowned surgeon. Thirty years later she sees the man who may have murdered her entire family. What next?
THE STARTUP WIFE by Tahmima Anam Newlyweds Asha and Cyrus build an app that replaces religious rituals and soon find themselves running one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. While the app is a dual effort, the spotlight is on Cyrus, and this weighs heavily on Asha. Will the marriage survive? The book is a feminist satire addressing startup culture and modern partnership. This wickedly funny, gimlet-eyed take on startup culture, marriage and workaholism is planted firmly in the times, where technology has changed the way we live and we love.