New on Shelves: Murakami’s latest novel, Mohinder Amarnath’s biography and more

A new novel by Haruki Murakami is headline material in the world of literary fiction—so what if it sounds like a mishmash of his earlier books? The best-selling Japanese phenomenon returns with a love story that straddles fantasy and fiction. Throw a “dream library” into the mix, and what you get is a standard fare Murakami adventure, where nothing is what it seems. The City and its Uncertain Walls, by Haruki Murakami, Penguin Random House, 464 pages, ₹1,399

This new collection of poems by Jeet Thayil marks the writer’s return from his self-avowed exile from poetry, declared in his book, These Errors Are Correct (2008). The intervening 16 years since his last book that won the Sahitya Akademi Award have given Thayil a fresh lease of life as an acclaimed novelist, an experience that seems to have left its mark on his comeback volume as a poet. I’ll Have It Here: Poems, by Jeet Thayil, HarperCollins, 104 pages, ₹599

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If you are excited about The Trunk, a Korean drama premiering on Netflix later this month, you may want to pick up the novel of the same name, written by Kim Ryeo-ryeong, on which the plot is based. Noh In Ji, who works as a temporary spouse, takes on an assignment as “wife” to music producer Han Jeong Won, but their lives are disrupted by the discovery of a mysterious trunk. The Trunk, by Kim Ryeo-ryeong, Penguin Random House, 265 pages, ₹699

Indian batsman Mohinder Amarnath, who was dubbed “comeback king” for his ability to bounce back from failure, was one of the most gifted players of pace. In a candid memoir, co-written with his brother, he revisits the challenges, controversies and key turning points in a career that remains enviable and elusive to even the most talented players of the game. Fearless: A Memoir, by Mohinder Amarnath with Rajender Amarnath, HarperCollins, 464 pages, ₹ 799

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