New Delhi, Jun 27 (PTI) Author Radhika Swarup's next book, "The New New-Delhi Book Club", will hit the stands in October, announced publishing house Westland Books on Tuesday.

Penned during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, the book is an interconnected collection of short stories, showing both the hopes and fears of life during the pandemic.

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"It is a love letter not only to my past, but to the community and a shared moment in history. The team at Westland Tranquebar have taken the book to their hearts and have loved the streets and the quirks of the characters and have partaken in their dreams and fears as much as I have. I couldn't hope for a better home for the work," the banker-turned-author said in a statement.

From throwing light on stories of people rising to the challenges of online work and social distancing to showing the sacrifices made by the unluckiest or the most unequal, the book, despite its apparent focus on the lives and fortunes of the residents of two streets in a New Delhi neighbourhood, talks to the global truth of that time.

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It also observes the tenacity of tender human bonds and looks at children learning online and at families living in different continents struggling with the uncertainty around meeting their loved ones.

"We are delighted to be publishing Radhika Swarup's gentle and uplifting novel, The New New-Delhi Book Club, in Tranquebar. It is the story of a neighbourhood and its people during a particularly unsettling time—a book written with Radhika's trademark finesse and a whole lot of warmth," said Sanghamitra Biswas, executive editor at Westland Books.

Swarup's debut novel, "Where the River Parts", was longlisted by the Author & Club for the best first novel award. Her last novel 'Civil Lines' was out in 2021.

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