The story of the innocent, young wife of a British attache and her affair with a Japanese soldier. Deeply moving, at times unbearable, and completely gripping, this is a superb book about early 20th century British values, misogyny and Japanese society. Highly recommended.
Breathtakingly beautiful poetry from this late 19th to early 20th century Indian poet. His writing explores the role of God, the natural world and his own place within it.
A collection of mesmerising Haiku, the Japanese verse form of strictly seventeen syllables, from old masters such as Basho and Buson to more contemporary poets. Each Haiku is accompanied by an illutration and the chinese text.
From the author of the acclaimed and suspenseful thriller The Devotion of Suspect X comes this compelling mystery. Yoshitak is poisoned by arsenic-laced coffee. His wife, Ayane, is the logical suspect- but she was on the opposite side of Japan when the murder occurred. A conflicted Police Department are getting nowhere, so they call upon Physics Professor Manabu Yukawa to help solve the case.
When Inspector Chen, honourable, artistic and great at his job, is called in to investigate the death of a young woman he is faced with a dilemma between party loyalty and his own conscience. Evocative and gripping, this is the first in Qui Xiaolong's acclaimed Inspector Chen mysteries and was awarded the Anthony Award for Best First Crime Novel.
Set in the decades before the rise of the Taliban, Ahmad's breathtaking stories explore the customs and cruelties of a culture seldom portrayed from the inside. A Pakistani boy, known as the wandering falcon, spends his life moving between remote tribal areas on the borders of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tender and devastating.
It took Karl Marlantes nearly 35 years and several knock-backs to write this fictionalised account of his experiences during the Vietnam War. The result is a relentlessly authentic, devastating and compelling depiction of a painful period of American history.
Thrice Booker-Shortlisted novelist Anita Desai writes exquisitely crafted stories that speak of human frailty, political anxieties and the ravages of time. These three novellas, set in modern India, evoke a vanishing world, captured at its moment of dissolution.
A collection of classical Indian myths and legends based on ancient Sanskrit literature and lovingly retold by Robert Calasso. This is a masterpiece of reinterpretation and a wonderful novel, while being a highly-respected intellectual exploration of Hindu mythology. Highly recommended.
Set in India at the time of partition, Vikram Seth's intimidating but none the less lauded story of Lata's search for a suitable husband. A modern classic of superb storytelling, historical background and vivid cultural detail.
Arundhati Roy brings her indignant, political voice to this beautifully written story of devoted twins, Rahel and Estha, living in rural Kerala. A tragic, poetic novel with exquisitely lyrical language which won the Booker Prize in 1997.
This is the story of four Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters. An enchanting novel about bridging a cultural divide, finding your identity and the beauty of mother and daughter relationships.
An epic cacophony of myth, legend and memory from the Nobel prize-winning author Gao Xingjian which, through one man's spiritual and physical journey, tries to grasp onto all that is China before it is gone for good. Highly recommended.
A new translation of a Dutch literary classic. Set at the height of Dutch colonial rule in the East Indies, this novel portrays the clash between Western rationalism and indigenous mysticism. Originally published in 1900 this is a fresh new translation courtesy of Pushkin Press.
The 8th installment of Colin Cotterill's ever popular detective series, featuring Dr Siri in Laos. The good doctor and renowned coroner is away on holiday, but will he ever return? Set in the northern mountains of Laos, he sets off in pursuit of a lost CIA agent.
In 1918, searching for an answer to the crisis of the European spirit, Herman Hesse immersed himself in Hindu and Buddhist scripture. His resulting novel, Siddhartha, is the story of a man searching for the meaning of life, a balance between the cerebral and the sensual and inner peace. A remarkable classic from one of the 20th century's most influential thinkers.
This subtle, tender novel weaves together the stories of three central characters: a judge, his orphaned granddaughter and their cook. All three share a ruined mansion in the Himalayas but the India that lies out like a rug before them is beginning to change. Occasionally comic, consistently powerful winner of the 2006 Booker Prize.
Refreshing, exquisitely-crafted novel which depicts a violent, brutal image of a contemporary India where businessmen are make their fortunes, while many of the rural population live in the "darkness", at the mercy of their greedy landlords, and in poverty and squalor. Thoroughly-deserved winner of the 2008 Booker prize from this exciting, new name on the literary scene.
Set in partition India, a young woman must consider compromising her happiness and her love to avoid shaming her family. A passionate and powerful novel which speaks of the struggle against our parents and a yearning for freedom, as well as the more specific repression felt by an Indian woman during the 1950s.
A classic of modern Chinese literature which tells of the aimless education, manipulation and hapless marriage of Shanghai playboy Fang Hung-chien. Set on the eve of Japanese occupation, we follow this comic, entertaining anti-hero with relish as he falls into one scrape after another.
A compassionate and graceful novel about the subtle complexities of being an Indian immigrant in America, which has earned Lahiri a loyal and well-deserved fan base. The story follows Gogol, the American-born son of an Indian couple, and his search for a true identity.