Saturday 29 November 2014

New & Notable: International & Regional

International: The Book of Gold Leaves by Mirza Waheed


In an ancient house in the city of Srinagar, Faiz paints exquisite papier mache pencil boxes for tourists. Evening is beginning to slip into night when he sets off for the shrine. He looks up to see the girl with the long black hair.

Roohi has been waiting for him. She wants a love story. And so it begins.

An age-old tale of love and conflict, within families, between worlds, The Book of Gold Leaves is a heart-breaking tale of what might have been, what could have been, if only.

                                                     
Mirza Waheed was born and brought up in Kashmir, although he now lives in London.  His debut novel, The Collaborator, was widely praised. Arundhati Roy said: “With flashes of brilliance, tenderness and fury, The Collaborator does what fiction should. It makes you listen.”

Published by Viking Books in paperback and eBook. Priced in local currencies.

Regional: Riot Recollections by Zakaria Zainal and Prabhu Silvam


On 8 December 2013 a riot broke out amongst migrant construction workers, in Little India, Singapore - the worst outbreak of violence the City-State had experienced in four decades. Within minutes Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites had gone crazy. Both mainstream and alternative media issued their own explanations of the events that unfolded that night. Issues of class, the treatment of migrant workers and the efficiency of the riot force, amongst others, were brought into sharp relief. The rioters were often simply referred to as a mob, making it is easy to forget that individuals were involved.

Riot Recollections redresses that over-simplification.  The authors meet individuals who were in the thick of events, allowing them to describe and explain  the violence in their own words. These witnesses offer a glimpse into the trauma of the riot long after the debris has been cleared.


Published by Ethos Books, Singapore, on Dec 6, in paperback. SGD$23.79 with GST. 

To buy either book from Book Depository click here.