Of the 21 nominees for the Commonwealth Book Prize 2013 shortlist for novelists whose first books have been published in the last year, five writers are Indian.
Em and the Big Hoom, Jerry Pinto
The story is set in Bombay in the last decades of the twentieth century, of the Mendedes — mother, father, daughter and son. Em is the beedi-smoking, hyperactive mother, who is driven frequently to hospital by her mania and failed suicide attempts. The Big Hoom is the rock-solid, dependable father, trying to hold things together as best he can. They are an extraordinary family.
The Wildings, Nilanjana Roy
A small band of cats lives in the labyrinthine alleys and ruins of Nizamuddin, an old neighbourhood in Delhi. Miao, the clan elder, a wise, grave Siamese; Katar, a cat loved by his followers and feared by his enemies; Hulo, the great warrior tom; Beraal, the beautiful queen, swift and deadly when challenged; Southpaw, the kitten whose curiosity can always be counted on to get him into trouble. Until one day a a terrified orange-coloured kitten with monsoon green eyes and remarkable powers, lands in their midst setting off a series of extraordinary events that will change their world forever.
The Other Side of Light, Mishi Saran
One woman, two lovers, three best friends. The gift of an old camera sends young Asha careening in an unconventional direction, making her leave her family, her home, her friends and the intriguing Kabir to spend a year in a Swiss village learning to see the world through a lens. But, back in Delhi, there is a price to pay — life has moved on.
God on Every Wind, Farhad Sorabjee
A story of attraction between two opposites after a chance meeting on the streets on 1960s Bombay, set against a background of turbulent society societies, times, and allegiances. Philomena is a born rebel, disillusioned with her middle-class comfort and the expectations of her parents. Nestor is an impoverished African exile with the heart of a poet.
Narcopolis, Jeet Thayil
Opium and its effect, set in 1970s Old Bombay, the book opens with the narrator arriving in Bombay, where he is sucked into the opium underground. The story expands to encompass other characters — Dimple, the eunuch, Rashid, the opium house's owner, and Mr Lee, a former Chinese officer. All have their own stories to tell. Stretching across three decades, with an interlude in Mao's China, it portrays a city in collision with itself.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}