This novel's unlikely protagonist, Hugo Baumgartner, stands in for the intersection of Jewish and Indian culture. In this vividly depicted tale, Jewish business owner Baumgartner escapes Nazi persecution by fleeing to Calcutta, where he is subsequently imprisoned as an alien. He get released but Baumgartner comically lives as an outsider with stray cats as his sole source of companionship.  (IDA245, $13.00)