Scroll’s December 7, 2025 reading list names six new works of Indian fiction, led by Amitav Ghosh’s Ghost Eye. The books range from a short-story collection about personal and political life to novels about literary heritage, friendship, women’s history and rebuilding after divorce. Scroll says its descriptions are sourced from publishers, so treat them as synopses rather than independent reviews.
Six books, at a glance
| Book | Author | Form and setting | Central thread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost Eye | Amitav Ghosh | Novel; a riverside setting and a later search connected to environmental activism | A child’s claimed memories of a previous life, a psychiatrist’s investigation, family and memory |
| Why I Killed My Husband and Other Such Stories | Anita Nair | Six stories set across Karnataka, Kerala, Chennai, Bengaluru and a farm near Hathras, Uttar Pradesh | How personal lives meet political forces, including caste, gender violence, activism, lockdowns and cyber fraud |
| Rukmini Aunty and the RK Narayan Fan Club | Sita Bhaskar | Novel set in Mysore | A neighborhood effort to save a house once belonging to R.K. Narayan |
| Lightning in a Shot Glass | Deepanjana Pal | Novel about flatmates in Mumbai | Female friendship, dating, work and chosen family |
| The Courtesan, Her Lover and I | Tarana Husain Khan | Novel linking 19th-century Rampur with a later story involving the Rampur Raza Library | Courtesan-poet Munni Bai Hijab, poet Dagh Dehlvi and an aspiring writer tracing Hijab’s story |
| The Wrong Way Home | Shunali Khullar Shroff | Novel moving between Mumbai and Landour | A divorced woman’s attempt to rebuild her PR business and her life |
What each book is about
Ghost Eye by Amitav Ghosh
Three-year-old Varsha Gupta says she remembers a previous life in a riverside mud house, where she caught and cooked fish. Her strict vegetarian family has never allowed her to eat fish. Psychiatrist Dr Shoma Bose investigates Varsha’s claims. Fifty years later, the case file draws Shoma’s nephew Dinu into environmental activists’ plans. As he searches for Varsha, he also confronts memories of his own past. The synopsis brings reincarnation claims together with family, memory and environmental activism.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Ghost-Eye: A Novel | $21.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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The Hungry Tide: A Novel | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Sea of Poppies: A Novel | $13.79 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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The Glass Palace: A Novel | $9.87 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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The Shadow Lines: A Novel | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Why I Killed My Husband and Other Such Stories by Anita Nair
This collection comprises six stories about the overlap between personal and political life in contemporary India. The settings span Karnataka, Kerala, Chennai, Bengaluru and a farm near Hathras in Uttar Pradesh. The publisher-derived synopsis points to political activism, caste, gender violence, pandemic lockdowns and cyber fraud.
Rukmini Aunty and the RK Narayan Fan Club by Sita Bhaskar
In Mysore, Rukmini is annoyed by a dilapidated neighboring house. She discovers it belonged to R.K. Narayan after authorities designate it a heritage building and stop its demolition. Saving it now depends on raising money to buy the property from the heirs, so Rukmini and a neighborhood women’s group take up the effort.
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Lightning in a Shot Glass by Deepanjana Pal
Meera, a 40-year-old journalist, and Aalo, 29, share a flat in Mumbai. They navigate new romances, office politics and difficult family dynamics. The synopsis centers on female friendship and chosen family alongside dating and the rhythms of city life.
The Courtesan, Her Lover and I by Tarana Husain Khan
One strand follows Munni Bai Hijab, a 19th-century courtesan-poet in Rampur, and Urdu poet Dagh Dehlvi. In the later strand, aspiring writer Rukmini finds Dagh’s letters in the Rampur Raza Library and follows the trail of Hijab’s story while dealing with tensions in her own marriage, family and friendships. The two timelines connect a search through literary history to a contemporary woman’s life.
Rank #2
The Wrong Way Home by Shunali Khullar Shroff
After her divorce leaves her broke and socially sidelined, Nayantara tries to revive her PR business by winning high-profile clients. The story’s concerns include ambition, love and image, with Mumbai’s pace set against the pull of Landour.
How to choose among the six
- For a layered premise about memory and environmental activism: start with Ghost Eye.
- For a short-story collection rooted in contemporary social and political concerns: consider Anita Nair’s six stories.
- For literary heritage and a community campaign: Sita Bhaskar’s Mysore-set novel follows the effort to save a house associated with R.K. Narayan.
- For contemporary friendship, dating and work: Deepanjana Pal’s novel follows two Mumbai flatmates.
- For a historical strand alongside a modern search: Tarana Husain Khan’s novel connects 19th-century Rampur to a later discovery in its library.
- For a story of reinvention after divorce: Shunali Khullar Shroff’s novel follows Nayantara’s effort to rebuild her business and personal life.
The settings range across contemporary Indian cities and communities, while The Courtesan, Her Lover and I also reaches back to 19th-century Rampur. That makes setting and form useful ways to navigate the list, not a ranking of the books.
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What the list establishes—and what it does not
Scroll Staff published the list on December 7, 2025, so its phrase “this year” refers to 2025. Scroll’s article says, “All information sourced from publishers.” Its descriptions therefore introduce the books through publisher-provided synopses; they do not establish independent critical judgments, sales, awards or which title is best. The article also does not specify ISBNs, formats, prices or current availability, so readers should check a bookseller or publisher for the edition and stock relevant to them.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Mariner books
- Binding: paperback
- Language: english
Rank #4
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