Column | Top books to read in August 2026

Family, and the feeling of belonging and togetherness it can provide, lies at the heart of many of the books in this month’s reading list. Moving between literary and historical fiction, thrillers and horror, these titles feature works by familiar, much-loved writers alongside some newer names too. Together, they present a world that is at once intimate, fleeting and foreign.‘The Haunting of Dr. Shamsi’ | Ayesha Muzaffar(PanMacmillan India; ₹499)In this collection of “unsettling tales”, the title story begins with a baby born with six fingers in 1970s Lahore. The mother is certain the extra finger is scratching her of its own accord. From there, things get steadily less stranger. Loosely inspired by true events, Muzaffar’s stories draw on family lore, superstition and the supernatural, with the old city sketched out vividly, gathering history and myth within it. The horror is slow and atmospheric rather than startling, making for a truly enjoyable read.‘For Whose Dear Sake Our Fathers Died’ | Priya Hajela(Speaking Tiger Books; ₹599)“Countries are made up of stories. So are families,” says matriarch Beant Kaur. Surrounded by her grandchildren, she reaches back through four generations of her family: to the Anglo-Sikh wars, the upheaval of 1857, British rule, and eventually the Komagata Maru. Hajela treats history as something handed down through families, rather than confined to museums and archives. The storytelling is direct and conversational, holding together the contradictions of patriotism, survival, pride and loyalty.‘And I Am the Arrow’ | Pia Ghosh-Roy(Picador India; ₹599)Mishu’s grandmother is formidable, acerbic and full of stories, many of which Mishu absorbs long before she understands them. Years later, when her life is coming apart in New York, Mishu is pulled back home when her grandmother falls into a coma. This debut novel resists tidy resolutions and expected arcs. The three generations of women who occupy its pages across Calcutta, London and New York contend with family secrets, birds, and a chorus of the dead who object to being called ghosts.‘It Could Have Been Her’ | Lisa Jewell(Century; ₹899)The story begins with a lost dog, which leads the protagonist straight back to a house she narrowly escaped from 25 years ago. Now, Jane is forced to reckon with her past and dig up all that she has spent years avoiding. Moving briskly between characters and timelines, Jewell leaves breadcrumbs in just the right places, keeping us wanting more until we are led to a very satisfying ending.‘Sophie, Standing There’ | Meg Mason(Bloomsbury India; ₹699)Sophie Pattison is at literary festivals attaching microphones to famous writers, which means she gets very close to people who mostly do not notice her at all. Until novelist Lilac Dunne comes into her miserable, lonely life, and changes everything for Sophie. Author Mason stays claustrophobically close to her heroine’s mind, giving us a book that is funny, digressive and painfully sad without ever becoming performative.(A monthly column on popular fiction.)The writer is an independent journalist, editor, and literary curator. Published - August 28, 2026 06:15 pm IST