A man who sold potato cakes

The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Yu (Puffin, Rs 175) by Shreekumar Varma claims to have been based on a book lying inside an “old and battered desk…in the cold and shattered basement” of the narrator’s house. The mystery deepens as we learn that the story was written by the grandfather of one Mr Anchanbey, the original owner of the house, and is set in the enchanted seaside village of “Anchan Bay”. The plot revolves around the Magic Store, an unusual children’s shop run by the hideously ugly Nu-Cham-Vu (picture). It sells the most exquisite delicacies: cakes made of potatoes and cream, toffee rolled round sugarcane sticks, and beetroot ice-cream garnished with tomato-chilli jam. Only children are allowed to enter the shop. Parents have to wait outside while their little ones savour the delights of a flute capable of sensing the seasons, a toy bird that always speaks the truth, and a doll that can translate. The only blighted spot in this pristine hub of fantasies is the grotesque shopkeeper himself, who takes great pleasure in bullying the kids and their parents. Yet, when the grown-ups decide to kick him out of the town, the children are reluctant to let him go. Influenced by “The Selfish Giant” and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but presented with a desi punch, this is a lovely tale that has been recommended by none less than Ruskin Bond. Some striking illustrations by Vinayak Varma add to the appeal of the text.

Entrepreneur Journeys: Volume One (Hachette, Rs 295) by Sramana Mitra tells you “How to Stop Looking For a Job…And Start-up Your Life’s Work”. Such advice, coming from a successful strategy consultant based in Silicon Valley, is bound to lift many drooping spirits, especially in this age of recession. Mitra not only brings together the testimonies of established entrepreneurs from across the globe, but also talks about her personal experiences, the many ups and downs she suffered as she struggled to set up her first company in Calcutta (of all places) in the mid-1990s. After several frustrating months in the city, when she had to manage without a telephone, Mitra finally shifted to Silicon Valley. Today, she runs three companies, and is a well-known business writer. Given her early exposure to the dotcom revolution, Mitra writes with an insider’s knowledge, admirable clarity, and a stout sense of the practicalities involved in any venture, big or small.

Election (Harper Perennial, £7.99) by Tom Perrotta is a novel curiously similar to Anita Shreve’s Testimony, both in terms of style and content. Like Shreve, Perrotta sets his story around the life of a small community of students attending a posh school in America. The tale is told through several voices, each speaking an interior monologue; so the effect is that of a multitude of opinions, coming together and breaking away. The debate centres on an ethically dubious incident involving a mentally retarded schoolgirl and high school boys that puts several young and vulnerable lives in turmoil. Written with remarkable control and precision, this is a darkly gripping novel.

Pilgrimage to Paradise (Penguin, Rs 200) by Kamla K. Kapur selects thirty Sufi tales from Rumi’s magisterial work, Mathnawi. Originally written in Persian, Rumi’s sublime meditations on life, death, love and divinity were presented to the English-reading world in a classic translation by Reynold A. Nicholson in 1926. Kapur has now culled some of the best tales of Rumi, combined, edited, reinterpreted and rearranged them under several themes, such as “Tame Your Ego”, “Pray”, “Be Content” or “Surrender to God’s Will”. Grim as the titles may sound, the stories are touched with the finest wit, as in “The Sweetness of Bitter Melons” featuring King Hamid and his devoted servant, Luqman.