5 novelties of intellectual prose that will appeal to the selective reader

1. "Burnt Sugar", Avni Doshi

The American writer of Indian origin Avni Doshi has been creating her debut novel for more than seven years. The result is a bizarre, sometimes sarcastic and emotional story of a destructive mother-daughter relationship. The work was also appreciated by critics: the book was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize.

Antara has to take care of Tara's mother alone, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The girl tries to slow down the process of memory loss by painting pictures for her mother and leaving notes in her diary. But inside Antara, feelings are torn apart: she is not able to forgive Tara, who put lovers above her daughter and never paid enough attention to her. Will the girl be able to take care of the woman or will she act the same way as her mother did in the past?

2. "Valentine" by Elizabeth Wetmore

Another grand debut, harshly criticizing the patriarchal society and culture of violence. Elizabeth Wetmore rethinks the literature about the Wild West and gives the floor exclusively to women: all events are described on their behalf.

In the small American town of Odessa, isolated from the rest of the world by desert prairies, a terrible crime is taking place. The morning after Valentine's Day, 14-year-old Mexican Gloria claims to have been held and raped all night by white oil worker Dale Strickland. The news quickly spreads through the provincial city, forcing the locals to split their opinions between those who believe the girl and those who deny what is happening.

Valentine has received many accolades in the press. And soon the popular novel will be filmed, and Jennifer Schuur, the author of the TV series "My Brilliant Friend", will act as a screenwriter.

3. "Clara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro

First, Kazuo Ishiguro, the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, conceived the novel as a book for children. However, he later reworked the text into a longer story that raises many complex questions about genetic engineering, the future, and androids. As a result, "Clara and the Sun", written in simple language, turns into a multi-layered work about our near future.

A graceful narrative at the intersection of dystopia and fairy tale is conducted from the perspective of an android named Clara. The model was created to become the best friend of a teenager. She falls into the family of Josie, where she witnesses the difficult relationship between the girl and her mother, and is confronted with the concepts of humanity, death and love incomprehensible to a robot.

With its unique atmosphere and amazing ending, permeated with light sadness, Ishiguro's new book is reminiscent of his previous bestsellers: the novel "The Rest of the Day" and the dystopia "Don't Let Me Go". Unsurprisingly, Clara and the Sun immediately made it onto the long list of the 2021 Booker Prize.

4. Forty-One Crackers by Mo Yan

Mo Yan, another Nobel laureate, tells the story of a wondrous Chinese city whose inhabitants are crazy about meat. In this phantasmagoric story, the realities of modern China are easily guessed.

Nineteen-year-old La Xiaotong dreams of becoming a monk and goes to a temple located near the place where the young man grew up. Before making his dream come true, the guy tells the old monk stories about himself and the inhabitants of his hometown. Each time, stories about connoisseurs of exotic dishes from an ostrich, camel, donkey, dogs become more and more bizarre, scary and ironic.

5. "The Jaipur Artist" by Alka Joshi

It took Joshi over 10 years and many trips to his ancestral homeland to write The Artist from Jaipur. But the result was worth it. The vivid story of a woman's struggle with social traditions is already called the second "Shantaram" and is going to be filmed.

The novel begins with an escape. Trying to escape a cruel marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi travels to Jaipur, where she begins to paint with henna and becomes a popular artist. Women from high society trust the girl with secrets, and she gives them wise advice in return. Lakshmi is forced to remain silent about her married life. But one day the past bursts into her successful present: many years later, her husband tracks down the fugitive.