Who am I? Why am I here? We’ve all searched for meaning in our lives; our purpose, our destiny. But are we prepared to handle the answer, if we ever find out what it is? The protagonists in these novels find their lives turned upside down as they embark on their own personal quests.
The Other People
CJ Tudor
It isn’t over till a corpse is found. Hence, Gabe Forman continues to search for his missing daughter Izzy even though others believe she is dead. Couple that with Fran, a mother on the run, who knows what really happened to Izzy, and a mysterious group named The Other People, and a recipe of grief and gripping fear awaits. If you believe that justice is served by taking an eye for an eye, then welcome to the club.
The Memory Wood
Sam Lloyd
Hide-and-seek is an enjoyable game to many except for gifted chess champion Elissa Mirzoyan, who is imprisoned in an underground cellar. Lonely resident Elijah finds her and wants to lend a helping hand. Racing against time, this twisted modern-day Hansel and Gretel-esque piece finds Elissa putting her trust in a mysterious and odd acquaintance. Can she escape?
The Good, The Bad and the Little Bit Stupid
Marina Lewycka
Nobody is perfect. Just look at George Pantis. And it doesn’t help that he has a dysfunctional family. Set in the midst of Brexit, Lewycka employs caricature-based humour to tackle the very serious issues of money laundering and organised crime gangs—no mean feat, but then this is the bestselling author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. Do think twice before reading this laugh-out-loud book on the MRT, unless you enjoy people giving you weird looks.
The Glass Hotel
Emily St John Mandel
There’s nothing peculiar about two strangers crossing paths in a hotel. Unless they have an agenda. Vincent and her half-brother Paul led vagrant lives until they chanced upon night crew jobs at a new luxury hotel on a remote British Columbian island. Its widowed owner, Ponzi-scheme initiator Jonathan Alkaitis, takes a liking to Vincent and that’s when deception, greed and desire enter the picture—something that we’re all too familiar with.
Dear Edward
Ann Napolitano
A plane crash kills all passengers, including the parents of 12-year- old Edward. By some fluke, Edward’s life is spared. But with no one to depend on, he can only cling to hope. Or has it forsaken him as well? Edward is forced to process grown-up feelings in his new parentless reality, and Napolitano handles this with so much care and tenderness that adult readers are drawn into his world as well.
These titles are available at Books Kinokuniya.
