19 Books By Northeast Indian Authors That Are So Good, You'll Be Adding Them To Your Reading List ASAP

What it’s about: The Legends of Pensam is a collection of interconnected stories spanning across generations that introduces the readers to the people, customs, traditions, and history of the Adi tribe of Siang valley by recounting their myths, legends, superstitions, and oral history. The book chronicles how the tribe’s way of life changes when it comes in contact with the colonial regime in the late 19th and early 20th century, leaving them in a state of in-between or pensam as they come to terms with this change.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: This book is an incredible anthology of short stories, poems, personal accounts, and stunning artwork and visuals that attempts to showcase the literary potential of the Nagas, who did not have a tradition of written literature. Each piece illustrates different times and aspects of Nagaland through the voices of the Naga women and has a prominent feminist voice throughout the narratives. Each piece in this anthology speaks of these women’s many journeys to reclaim their pasts and understand their complex present.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: Mitra Phukan's novel is set in a conflict-ridden small town of Assam called Parbatpuri and revolves around Rukmini Bezboruah, the wife of the District Collector, who lives a seemingly safe and privileged life, free from the violence and terrors of insurgency. However, she experiences a desolation of not having children and living a monotonous and lonely life. She finds comfort in Manoj, and their ever-growing physical intimacy is played against a world of violence. Soon, the political starts connecting with the personal, and Rukmini's life inside the bubble of privilege and safety starts to break open.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: Temsula Ao's collection of stories depicts how the turbulent years of carnage and tears from the struggle and demand for independence from the Indian State have restructured the psyche of the people in Nagaland. These are moving stories of ordinary people striving for survival, searching for their identity, and searching for peace amidst terror after their old ways of life are torn apart due to modernisation and war.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: The King's Harvest consists of two novellas set in the state of Sikkim. The first novella is sort of like a detective fiction about a woman called Kamala who purposely murders her husband and tries to take law into her own hands. The second novella is about Tontem, a deformed man, who gets shunned from the kingdom and is now on his way to meet his king, whom he owes a harvest from his fields.

You can buy it here.

What it’s about: Set in the 1960s during the time of political unrest and insurgency in Mizoram, the novel tells the story of a young girl, Zorami, as she observes and experiences the horrors of the insurgency. It is layered with Mizo folklore, tradition, and songs composed during that time and shows Zorami's journey towards personal healing and discovery of a new identity. Through her character, the author represents what the whole of Mizoram was going through during those turbulent times.

You can buy it here.

What it’s about: Set in nameless cities with nameless characters, The Nine-Chambered Heart is the story of a young woman, told from the perspective of nine different men with whom she has had one or the other kind of relationship. These nine different men have loved her in nine different stages of her life and as we learn about this woman through different viewpoints of these characters, it also makes us realise how our identities are fragmented and how it forms and transforms in relation to the people around us.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: Ardent lovers of poetry — this book is for you! Robin S Ngangom is a bilingual poet who writes in English and Manipuri, and this is his third book of poetry. In his poems, he speaks about rootlessness, his search for identity, his alienation owing to his inability to go back to Manipur, and how he does not have a sense of belonging to his place of birth even though he longs to go back home.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: This is a thoroughly well-researched book for those trying to understand the complex issues of Northeast India. It provides insight into the insurgency, identity crisis, drug abuse, floods, illegal immigration, cross-border infiltration, and environmental problems plaguing the region.

You can buy it here.

What it's about: Undertow is a gripping book that one won't be able to put down. It is a coming-of-age tale that revolves around Loya, who arrives from Bangalore to Assam to visit her grandfather, Torun, and follows her journey of discovering her roots. Loya's mother, Rukmini, was cast out of her paternal home for marrying a Christian Malayali outside her caste. It is about severed connections between family and delves into the personal strife of Loya, played wonderfully against the backdrop of a strife-ridden Assam.

You can buy it here.