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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scroll.in’s December 30, 2023, “Hello 2024” roundup named six books to welcome the new year: novels, short stories and plays spanning family, politics, speculative fiction and history. The descriptions below reflect publisher blurbs summarized by Scroll, not independent reviews or a ranking. Read the original roundup.
What are the six books in Scroll’s “Hello 2024” list?
The list was published in 2023, so “recently published” is historical framing rather than a claim about how new these books are today. The six entries offer different ways into the list: choose by form, premise, subject or language of translation.
Maria, Just Maria — Sandhya Mary, translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil
Maria stops speaking after her grandfather dies and is in a psychiatric hospital as she begins reconnecting with reality. The story’s family-centered world includes her Syrian Christian upbringing, a great-aunt with dementia, a philosophical dog, deceased relatives, a patron saint and religious figures.
Vazhga Vazhga and Other Stories — Imayam, translated from Tamil by Prabha Sridevan
This short-story collection takes up political morality, whether religion unites or divides, and social inequality.
#1 Best Overall
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Maili Chadar; or, The Stained Shawl and Truth and Justice: Two Plays — Shanta Gokhale
The volume brings together two plays. Maili Chadar; or, The Stained Shawl: A Tragedy in Four Acts traces a protagonist’s shift from youthful idealism toward the pursuit of power. Truth and Justice: Four Monologues gives voice to women harmed by men in power, with examples set against the Dreyfus affair, communal riots in Gujarat and the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Acts of God — Kanan Gill
In a post-nuclear-winter world described as free of borders, war, poverty and overpopulation, Dr K—a former head of a scientific institute—secretly simulates universes and intervenes in them. His plans run into private detective P Manjunath.
Rank #2
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Silk and Steel: A Novel — Stephen Alter
Set in nineteenth-century India, the novel follows bandits James Webley and Colonel Augustine. They reject mercenary service and pursue pillage while facing British forces. Augustine’s plan involves Khasturba and leads toward a disastrous climax.
The Murderer’s Mother — Mahasweta Devi, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha
Set in late-1970s West Bengal, after the Left Front comes to power, the novel follows Tapan, who becomes a gang leader killing people at the behest of a powerful local patron. He tries to protect his family and restrain other crimes, but the patron’s interests eventually turn against him.
Rank #3
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Which books are translations?
Three entries identify a source language and translator: Maria, Just Maria was translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil; Vazhga Vazhga and Other Stories from Tamil by Prabha Sridevan; and The Murderer’s Mother from Bengali by Arunava Sinha. The roundup does not identify the other three entries as translations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose among them
- For an intimate family story touching on mental health, consider Maria, Just Maria.
- For short fiction focused on social and political questions, consider Imayam’s Vazhga Vazhga and Other Stories.
- For drama about power, justice and women’s testimony, consider Gokhale’s two-play volume.
- For a speculative premise built around simulated universes, consider Acts of God.
- For historical banditry and conflict with British forces, consider Silk and Steel.
- For a political-crime story about patronage, family and violence, consider The Murderer’s Mother.
Scroll’s article notes that its information came from publishers’ blurbs. It provides no comparative review or basis for ranking the books by quality.
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