THE IMMORTAL KING RAO,

BY VAUHINI VARA

A meditation on the dangers of technology and capitalism, Vara’s debut novel follows the son of Indian coconut farmers who, after moving to America to study engineering, rises to become a powerful tech titan and the leader of a worldwide, corporate-led government. To raise his daughter, Athena, in peace, King Rao self-exiles to a remote island. But when Athena grows up to become an environmental activist, she must grapple with her father’s role in the worsening climate crisis. (W.W. Norton & Company) HB