What can the lives of dogs reveal about being human? And what does it mean for a woman to define herself on her own terms? These questions sit at the heart of two very different books by Tushar Chatterji, whose writing moves between the unspoken emotional worlds of animals and the layered realities of womanhood. At the Frankfurt Book Fair 2026, Hubhawks represented both Behind Those Eyes and Becoming Her, bringing two distinct perspectives on love, identity and the experiences that shape us to an international publishing audience.
In Behind Those Eyes, Chatterji invites readers to look at the world through the lives of six dogs: Piku, Nala, Laila, Chelsea, Dolly and Rani. Their stories unfold through experiences of joy and heartbreak, belonging and betrayal, innocence and realisation. Moving beyond the familiar understanding of dogs as loyal companions, the collection explores what their emotional worlds can reveal about the people with whom they share their lives.
The book’s central shift is one of perspective. By allowing canine experiences to lead the narrative, Chatterji asks readers to reconsider how they understand loyalty, forgiveness and devotion. The dogs communicate without the language humans rely on, yet their stories explore emotions that are deeply familiar. Their experiences become a way of examining the fragile, flawed and fiercely feeling nature of human relationships. In doing so, the collection suggests that empathy begins not only with understanding those who resemble us, but also with recognising lives experienced differently from our own.
With Becoming Her, Chatterji turns his attention to another set of emotional landscapes. Across six stories, the collection explores women navigating relationships, expectations, heartbreak and the search for selfhood. Each narrative reflects a different facet of feminine strength and vulnerability, tracing the moments through which women question inherited beliefs, reclaim their identities and find the courage to begin again.
Here, transformation is not presented as a single defining moment or an uncomplicated journey towards empowerment. Instead, the stories focus on the ongoing process of becoming: rebuilding after loss, negotiating the expectations placed upon women and discovering who one wishes to be beyond the roles assigned by others. The collection recognises that strength can coexist with uncertainty, and that the decision to redefine one’s life can be as significant as any outward achievement.
Although the books approach their subjects from different directions, they share an interest in inner lives that are often overlooked. Behind Those Eyes uses the perspective of dogs to reconsider familiar ideas about human connection, while Becoming Her examines the personal journeys through which women negotiate identity and self-determination. Both invite readers to look beyond appearances and assumptions, making room for experiences that demand greater attention and understanding.
Raised in Jamshedpur, the steel city of India, Chatterji draws inspiration from offbeat journeys, high-altitude treks, searching conversations and a deep, abiding love for cinema. Balancing his corporate life with his literary pursuits, he approaches storytelling as a means of reflection, returning to life itself as his greatest teacher. Across these two collections, that reflective impulse takes different forms, but both books ask readers to pay closer attention to the experiences of others.
Through its representation of Behind Those Eyes and Becoming Her at Frankfurt 2026, Hubhawks presented two distinct works by the same author, connected by a common interest in empathy, emotional complexity and personal transformation. One begins with the bond between people and dogs; the other explores the journeys through which women reclaim their identities. Together, they invite readers to question what they assume they understand about others—and to recognise the unexpected places where connection and change begin.
