Bookrack of the week (10 May to 16 May)

I Love My Amma

Vasudhendra

Harper, pp 256, Rs 350

First published in Kannada, this unforgettable collection of essays traces a son’s journey from childhood reverence to adult understanding, when he finally sees his mother for who she truly is: flawed, stubborn, fierce and magnificently human.

Captain Mani’s War

PRS Mani and Inderjeet Mani (Ed)

Juggernaut, pp 256, Rs 699

In March 1944, the Japanese invaded northeast India. There followed some of the fiercest battles of World War II. Documenting the war was an Indian journalist called PRS Mani, who had left his AIR broadcasting job to become a public relations officer for the 14th Army and subsequently the Southeast Asian Command. This is his story.

The Man From Kashmir

Muddasir Ramzan

Bloomsbury, pp 192, Rs 499

Set in the fictional town of Poshmarg, this interconnected novella unfolds through episodic vignettes that trace the lives of a sprawling family across generations.

August 17

S Hareesh and Jayasree Kalathil (translator)

Harper, pp 432, Rs 599

Brilliant, subversive and darkly funny, this is a novel of astonishing scope and imagination from one of the most daring and original voices in contemporary Indian fiction.

Bheja Fry

Dr Mazda Turel

Juggernaut, pp 312, Rs 499

Through some unusual cases, Dr Turel comes to understand illness not just as a medical condition, but as a test of resilience, identity and the human spirit.