Click on the badge above to follow Deepa’s Picks for Now Reading
Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar
History for me becomes vital through fiction, and this story of 16th-century Mewar thrummed in my brain long after I turned the last page. Cuckold tells the tale of Rajput crown prince Maharaja Kumar, son of Rana Sanga and husband of Meerabai. While battle rages around them and political tensions flare, he is sick with love for his wife, and wants nothing more than to win her affections; she, who has pledged herself to Lord Krishna, refuses to consummate the marriage and withholds from him that which he most desires – her love. Introspective, sad and funny, Maharaja Kumar is a compelling narrator through the book’s 600 pages, and his story seems not far at all from the heartbreak and yearning that is such an inescapable part of all our lives. Also, the sex scenes are toe-curlingly good.
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
There’s a view of trees that is peddled in the service of conservation: we should save them because they serve us. This is true and can be effective, but it’s a sadly reductive way to look at these marvels that surround us. The Hidden Life of Trees by German forester Peter Wohlleben will open your eyes to the complex science, intelligence and sheer bloody-mindedness of that sweet peepul tree that shades your balcony. As Wohlleben tells it, the world of the forest is as changeable, competitive and community-minded as any human society. Protecting their saplings, sharing food and nutrients, warning one another of lurking dangers and even travelling to more favourable locations over time, trees lead secret lives we could not have imagined. With a keen scientific mind and a wonderfully engaging spirit of discovery, Wohlleben reminds us to value our oldest companions on the planet, not just for being useful but for being tremendously evolved creatures in their own right.
A Murder on Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
If there’s anything more delightful than cosying up with a galloping murder mystery while it pours with rain outside, I don’t know what it is and won’t believe you if you tell me. A Murder on Malabar Hill is a fun Indian crime novel featuring feisty heroine Perveen Mistry, who works at her father’s illustrious law firm and wants to be India’s first female lawyer. In 1920s Bombay, she navigates betrayal, murder and the omnipresent patriarchy to protect three widows from penury, all while offering canny insight into the limitations of personal law and the place of women in society. For a Mumbai ‘outsider’ like me, it’s always a special thrill to recognise locations named in the book and imagine them as they might have once been. And the voluptuary in me thrilled to the descriptions of big Parsi dinners, delicate gara sarees, grand old mansions and a way of life that once seemed indestructible.
Welcome to a new series focused on Team Sarmaya’s favourite mode of transport—books! We believe reading is the best way to wander the world and slip under the skin of faraway characters. Our weekly series, Now Reading, will recommend titles that we love on topics like history, art, culture, nature and design. It’s a way for you to get to know us better and for us to tell you about the books we’re currently obsessed with.
