This six-book list, published by Scroll Staff on March 2, 2025, mixes novels with short-story collections. Its “recently published” framing refers to March 2025; the available information does not establish that these titles are newly published in October 2026. The summaries below describe each book’s premise and contents, not comparative reviews or quality rankings.
Six titles, from story collections to novels
Scroll says its information came from publishers, though it does not name them or provide edition details. The list moves among Tamil and Kannada story collections, a Delhi anthology, and novels set in Karnataka and Srinagar.
Tamil: The Best Stories of Our Times, edited by Perundevi
Scroll describes this anthology as gathering 22 short stories published over the preceding three decades. The stories draw on Tamil Nadu and the Tamil diaspora, with attention to social transitions, identity, and inner lives.
Basti & Durbar, Delhi-New Delhi: A City in Stories, edited by Rakhshanda Jalil
This collection brings together 32 stories about Delhi across different communities and social settings. Its subjects include Partition, political life, and the city’s changing historical experience. Contributors named by Scroll include Khushwant Singh, Bhisham Sahni, Rashid Jahan, Kamleshwar, Mohan Rakesh, Gulzar, Krishna Sobti, Namita Gokhale, Uday Prakash, Vandana Singh, Manjula Padmanabhan, and others.
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Rising Sons, by Kavery Nambisan
Set in a Karnataka village in pre-independence India, the novel follows Devaraya, a Brahmin living amid caste and religious hierarchies. A secret from his past affects his wife Gowru and sons Nanju and Anna as village conflicts and the independence movement shape their futures.
The Last Knot, by Shabir Ahmad Mir
The novel’s premise follows a nineteenth-century Srinagar carpet-maker who dreams of weaving a flying carpet as a way out of subjugation. His pursuit brings him into the story of Abli Bab, a legendary blue silk carpet, the dyer’s daughter Heemal, and imperial forces. These are elements of the book’s fictional premise.
The Ex Daughters of Tolstoy House, by Arunima Tenzin Tara
Scroll’s synopsis centers on Meera, her husband Ambarish, and their daughters. A family secret and a killing lead Naina to confront her own complicity and the history of her family.
A Teashop In Kamalapura and Other Classic Kannada Stories, edited by Mini Krishnan and translated by Susheela Punitha
This Kannada collection includes neighborhood stories, a Mughal-court tale involving Tansen and Bilas Khan, and a story about a father whose children suffer under an upper-caste master. Scroll frames the collection through everyday life and themes such as friendship, faith, love, caste, class, betrayal, and envy.
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How to choose among them
- For an anthology: Try the Tamil collection for stories spanning Tamil Nadu and its diaspora, or the Delhi collection for fiction rooted in the capital’s communities and history.
- For a novel: Choose Rising Sons for village life, family history, and social hierarchy, or The Last Knot for a nineteenth-century Srinagar setting and a fantastical quest.
- For Kannada stories in English translation: A Teashop In Kamalapura and Other Classic Kannada Stories is explicitly identified as translated by Susheela Punitha.
- For family secrets and a killing: The Ex Daughters of Tolstoy House is the list’s family-centered thriller premise; its synopsis includes violence.
What the list establishes—and what it does not
The six titles offer different forms, settings, and subjects, but the source does not compare their literary quality or rank them. It also does not establish individual edition publication dates, ISBNs, current stock, or retailer availability. For the list and its original summaries, see Scroll’s March 2025 article.
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