As we step into 2025, the literary world is poised to deliver a fresh wave of thought-provoking, genre-defying, and highly anticipated books. From debut authors capturing the pulse of contemporary society to established voices returning with new stories, this year promises to be an exciting chapter for readers.
In The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong returns with a deeply moving novel about chosen family, unexpected connections, and the stories we create to survive. Nineteen-year-old Hai, on the verge of ending his life, is saved by Grazina, an elderly widow with dementia. As his caretaker, Hai forms an unlikely bond with her that transforms his life. Set in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, Vuong’s novel explores love, labor, loneliness, and the complexities of being on the fringes of society. With his signature blend of tenderness and grit, Vuong crafts a poignant story of healing, memory, and second chances.
Deviants by Santanu Bhattacharya
From the acclaimed author of One Small Voice, Deviants is a powerful tale of three generations of gay men in India fighting for love and dignity against societal currents. Vivaan, a teenager in India’s tech hub, finds love online, supported by his parents who know he’s gay but are unaware of his digital life. His uncle Mambro, living thirty years earlier, faced persecution under colonial-era laws criminalizing homosexuality. Before Mambro, Sukumar, his uncle, lived in secret, bound by societal taboos. Deviants is a bold, intimate exploration of the histories we inherit, the love we seek, and the legacies we leave behind.
No Place to Call My Own by Alina Gufran
No Place to Call My Own captures the turbulent journey of Sophia, a millennial trapped in a world that constantly undermines her identity—whether it’s her religion, sexuality, or ambition. As she moves through cities and towns, making questionable choices, she grapples with the collapse of her parents' marriage, mirrored in the political unrest of contemporary India. Set against the backdrop of #MeToo, the 2020 Delhi riots, and a global pandemic, Sophia’s journey is further shaped by her complex friendship with Medha, a queer artist facing her own struggles. In a world where apathy is survival, how can one find belonging when estranged from oneself? This novel paints a raw, intimate portrait of a young woman caught "in between," refusing to conform and struggling to define her place in a chaotic, volatile world.
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah
In his first novel since winning the 2021 Nobel Prize, Gurnah explores the seismic shifts of the early 21st century. In Tanzania, three young people come of age amidst global change. Karim returns home from university with newfound confidence, while Fauzia sees in him a chance for escape from her stifling upbringing. Together, they offer refuge to Badar, a poor boy uncertain of his future. As tourism, technology, and unforeseen opportunities reshape their world, each must confront what it truly means to take control of their destiny.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a captivating exploration of love, identity, and the forces that shape our lives. Sonia, a homesick college student in Vermont, and Sunny, a struggling journalist in Brooklyn, are both alienated and searching for connection, but their families' well-meaning attempts to unite them only drive them further apart. Set between India and America, this novel by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Inheritance of Loss delves into the complexities of modern life, family, tradition, and the enduring questions of where we truly belong.
Mother Mary Comes To Me by Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy’s memoir Mother Mary Comes To Me, set to be published by Penguin India in September 2025, offers a deeply personal reflection on her journey as a writer and the complex bond with her mother, Mary Roy, whom she calls “my shelter and my storm.” Following her mother’s death in September 2022, Roy, feeling “heart-smashed” and “more than a little ashamed” of her emotional response, began writing to understand her relationship with the woman she had once distanced herself from at age 18—not out of lack of love, but in order to continue loving her.
Absolute Jafar by Sarnath Banerjee
In Absolute Jafar, graphic novelist Sarnath Banerjee delivers his most personal work yet—a poignant story of an Indo-Pak marriage falling apart, leaving a child caught in the middle as a “geopolitical oddity.” Set against the backdrop of complex bureaucracies and rigid national borders, this graphic novel explores identity, belonging, and the impact of borders on personal lives.
Melanin by Jeet Thayil
Following the success of Narcopolis, Jeet Thayil returns with Melanin, an experimental novel blending memoir, fiction, prose, and poetry. With a fluid narrative that shifts across time and continents, and a deep influence from photography, Thayil pushes boundaries, offering a fresh and bold exploration of storytelling.
Words Platform Desk
Date 08.01.2025