It’s set to be another fascinating year in books, with novels spanning centuries, novels taking on the diaspora experience, novels exploring clashing cultures and – most of all – novels offering us succour, solace and hope that people, relationships and places can be better.
That means welcome returns from Hanya Yanagihara, Monica Ali, Jennifer Egan and Mohsin Hamid, as well as some bright new voices; we’re staggered by how accomplished Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry feels for a first effort.
There’s also plenty to enjoy in translation from Arabic, with famous names such as Jokha Alharthi offering new novels in English, while there’s also much to chew on in the non-fiction world, such as Brown Girl Like Me by Jaspreet Kaur, which takes on the issues of our day with great skill.
Here are The National’s suggestions for your 2022 reading list…
Literary fiction
The first weeks of the new year bring with them an immediate treat in Yanagihara’s ambitious follow-up to the similarly immense A Little Life. An early tip for the top literary prizes in 2022, To Paradise comprises three linked stories set in 1893, 1993 and 2093, the elusive utopia of the American dream picked apart in this perceptive but emotional novel.
Moving to England, Love Marriage by Ali (February) is another wonderfully wise look at the British-Asian experience from the Brick Lane author. When Yasmin gets engaged to fellow doctor Joe, their impending nuptials develop fissures as soon as Yasmin's parents meet Joe's feminist mother; what begins as a wry social comedy develops into a story of secrets, betrayals and two cultures searching for common ground.
We loved Egan’s Pulitzer winning A Visit from the Goon Squad back in 2011, so it’s fantastic to hear that a “sibling” novel The Candy House will be with us in April. Following a number of characters that had walk-on roles in the first novel, this one will have a similar commitment to comedy, technology, connection and the meaning of life in the 21st century.
A new Hamid novel is always something to look forward to, though it’ll be August before we can get our hands on The Last White Man. It has an intriguing premise; one day Anders wakes up to find that his skin has turned dark – and he’s not the only one. What this all means for the way humanity views itself is Hamid’s deeper concern, but framed around a compelling love story.
Arabic fiction in English translation
As has become the encouraging norm, the focus of this year’s translations into English will largely come from novels recognised by the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. February has Mohammed Hasan Alwan’s 2017 winner Ibn Arabi’s Small Death translated by William M Hutchins; this Saudi author takes an expansive look via historical fiction at the life of 12th-century Sufi philosopher Ibn Arabi – from his birth in Muslim Spain until his death in Damascus.
Jabbour Douaihy’s The King Of India was shortlisted in 2020, the Lebanese author setting up an intriguing mystery when the body of Zakaria is found just after he returns to his Lebanese village from exile in Europe, America and Africa, with an expensive painting. Combining this whodunnit with plenty of cultural and sectarian insight, the translation by Paula Haydar could see Douaihy cut through, come August.
There’s an even more current IPAF winner due for later in the year when Interlink publish Jalal Barjas’s 2021 winner Notebooks of the Bookseller. Paul Starkey’s translation will hopefully be as playful as the premise; the narrator Ibrahim begins to live his life like the characters in the novels he’s read, which becomes even more interesting when he starts committing crimes to right perceived wrongs. No set publication date for this yet, so keep your eyes peeled.
Alharthi’s Bitter Orange Tree (May) should capitalise on her Man Booker International Prize win for Celestial Bodies. It follows one young Omani woman as she adapts to life in Britain, while reflecting on her family ties back home – a classic past-meets-present tale translated by Marilyn Booth.
Debut fiction
If there’s a first-time author who can be almost guaranteed worldwide acclaim in 2022, it must be Honoree Fanonne Jeffers. Published in late 2021 in America only, The Love Songs of W E B Du Bois (January) is fantastic. It is a transformative look at the country through the eyes of Ailey, who travels back through a family history of oppression, slavery and cruelty, but in doing so finds resistance, independence and resilience. An immediate bestseller and Oprah Book Club Pick, the rest of the world is about to enjoy this massive, magnificent first effort.
Bringing matters right up to date, Kasim Ali’s Good Intentions (March) is the compelling, captivating story of Nur, a young British-Pakistani man who has fallen in love with a woman whom he feels he cannot tell his family about – because Yasmina is Black. A fascinating insight into the expectations inherent in immigrant life, Ali takes on racial prejudice and millennial relationships without ever succumbing to cliche or easy answers to the big questions he poses.
There’s a different relationship dynamic at play in Tom Watson’s brilliantly strange debut Metronome (March). Aina and Whitney have lived in exile on an island for a crime they committed together, but as the time comes for parole, shipwrecks start washing up, supplies diminish and Aina realises that maybe Whitney knew more about their surroundings than she let on. Maybe, it’s not an island at all. A thrilling take on the survival story.
Another fine female protagonist just waiting to be discovered is the fearless Elizabeth Zott, the star of Garmus’s hugely entertaining debut Lessons in Chemistry (April). An unconventional scientist with a television cooking show that isn’t only about food, she is outwardly successful and happy, but has a missing ingredient in her own life which gives this book its emotional heft. Already optioned for television, it will undoubtedly be the go-to book club read this year.
Non-fiction
Just from the cover and title, we’re really looking forward to Kaur’s Brown Girl Like Me (February). An inspirational memoir from the London teacher and poet, this is an agenda-setting book aiming to help women with South Asian heritage have the confidence to navigate the oppressions and microaggressions of life.
Talking of taking on oppression, Andre Henry’s All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep: Hope – and Hard Pills to Swallow – About Fighting for Black Lives (March) is another timely and necessary look at the fallout from Black Lives Matter. What Henry found is that his white American friends weren’t really interested in the struggle, but did want to talk about whether racism existed at all, or whether Henry should be so strident in his views. What Henry, a student of nonviolent social change, suggests here is bold – “divest from whiteness” – but incredibly compelling.
The history book we’re really looking forward to this year takes us down the Nile, and one of the most famous expeditions of all time; Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke’s 19th-century colonial mission deep into Africa. Candice Millard’s River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile (May) introduces us to a third man on these journeys; a slave called Sidi Mubarak Bombay. Without his courage, knowledge and linguistic talents, neither man would have come close to the headwaters of the Nile.
Finally, if it is published in the latter part of this year as expected, the untitled Prince Harry memoir is not only likely to break publishing records, but give the media enough content for months. He’s already promised it will be “accurate and wholly truthful” – which, well, you’d kind of hope was a given…
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
SPEC%20SHEET
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Bullet%20Train
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
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