Books to look forward to in 2023

A new year brings with it new hopes, new dreams, new worries, and new books. 

Here are some of the books that will be hitting the shelves in 2023.

Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood

A collection of short stories, Old Babes in the Wood is a compilation of fifteen short stories about familial ties and how the passage of time affects them, as well as a person's own self. There are stories exploring memories, there are those that use fantastical elements to highlight the conditions of the present, and then there are seven stories following the marriage of a couple through multiple decades. The collection promises the clever creativity that has become synonymous with Atwood. 

Old Babes in the Wood is to be released on March 7.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie 

In 14th century India, after her mother's death, a young girl named Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for the goddess Parvati. The girl utilises her power in the creation of the great city Bisnaga. Throughout the following three centuries, Kampana continues to influence and witness the ever-changing story of the city she breathed to life.

Set to be released on February 7, just six months after his very close brush with death, Victory City is Salman Rushdie's 15th published novel. 

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

In the 2021 novel Harlem Shuffle, readers were first introduced to Ray Carney, an upstanding citizen and humble furniture salesman in Harlem, New York, whose righteousness had to give way to increasingly bigger exceptions in the face of hard times. In its sequel, Crook Manifesto, the woes of Carney's life continue as the city around him bathes in debauchery, racial tension, and violence. 

It is expected to come out on July 18.

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

Writer extraordinaire Somerset Maugham arrives at the doorstep of his friend, lawyer Robert Hamlyn in Penang, Malaysia in 1921 and throws Robert's married life off-kilter. Behind the facade of a great writer, Maugham is cowering under bad business choices and the weight of his failing marriage. Robert's wife, Lesley slowly grows closer to Maugham and comes to understand and empathise with his troubles. 

Based on real-life events, The House of Doors is Booker-shortlisted author Tan Twan Eng's first book in a decade. It is expected to hit the shelves on May 3.

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

The sequel to Leigh Bardugo's 2019 novel Ninth House, Hell Bent continues the acclaimed young adult writer's foray into adult literature. It came out on January 10. 

The end of Ninth House saw Alex Stern, a young girl navigating the treacherous world of academia and secret societies at Yale, lose her friend and mentor Darlington to a void that led him straight to purgatory. Now, a series of puzzles, ancient riddles, and starkly drawn lines that she has been warned to not cross await Alex as she attempts to free Darlington. The journey to success is filled with violence, secrets, and unwelcome dives through her own past.

Zaima is a struggling student, a failed guitarist and a poet in need of better poetic ideas. Send her your sympathies at zaima2004adrita@gmail.com