Novelist Kunal Basu's 'In An Ideal World' to come out in 2022

Thus begins the mission of the parents of the suspect, who find themselves caught between rumours, religions and riots, while they attempt to uncover this mysterious disappearance and absolve the son they raised and believe in.Kunal Basus new book is thought-provoking and brilliant, but most importantly, it is very pertinent in todays world as it reiterates the message that there is only loss and destruction in the face of hatred and fanaticism -- something we must remind ourselves every day, said Aparna Kumar, editor at PRHI.

Renowned novelist Kunal Basu's new work of fiction, ''In An Ideal World'', will be released next year, Penguin Random House India (PRHI) announced on Friday.

The book, scheduled to released under the publishing house's 'Viking' imprint, is touted to be a ''powerful, gritty and fast-paced literary novel'' exploring a variety of themes relevant to the current times -- college, politics, family, crime investigation and fanaticism.

''I am deeply pleased that Penguin Random House will be the custodian of my new novel about a fractured land with a fractured heart,'' said the 65-year-old bilingual author, whose earlier works include ''The Yellow Emperor's Cure'' (2011), ''Kalkatta'' (2015) and ''Sarojini’s Mother (2020)''.

Notably, Basu's title story of his only short collection, ''The Japanese Wife'' (2008), was made into an award-winning film by filmmaker Aparna Sen. According to the publishers, the story of his upcoming book revolves around the disappearance of a member of the Liberal party of a college in Manhar. The prime suspect of this abduction is the leader of the Nationalist group of the same college. Thus begins the mission of the parents of the suspect, who find themselves caught between rumours, religions and riots, while they attempt to uncover this mysterious disappearance and absolve the son they raised and believe in.

''Kunal Basu's new book is thought-provoking and brilliant, but most importantly, it is very pertinent in today's world as it reiterates the message that there is only loss and destruction in the face of hatred and fanaticism -- something we must remind ourselves every day,'' said Aparna Kumar, editor at PRHI.