India
The Age of Shiva, by Manil Suri (2008). A young woman in 1950s Bombay trapped in a disappointing marriage lavishes all her care and attention on her son—with consequences that echo the struggles of post-independence India.
Beneath a Marble Sky, by John Shors (2004). Evocative of the fantastical stories and sensual descriptions of One Thousand and One Nights, Beneath a Marble Sky is the story of Jahanara, the daughter of the 17th century Mughal emperor who built India's Taj Mahal. What sets this novel apart is its description of Muslim-Hindu politics, which continue to plague the subcontinent today.
*City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, by William Dalrymple (1993). Although Dalrymple spent only 12 months in Delhi, his tour covers some 3,000 years—from the ancient (temples, palaces, despots) to the modern (ubiquitous pigeons and insane taxi drivers). Part archaeological dig, part travelogue, this book is equal parts authoritative and fun, as is his In Xanadu.
The Elephanta Suite: Three Novellas, by Paul Theroux (2007). Loosely linked in plot—characters from one story reappear as asides in another—each of Theroux's three illuminating novellas revolves around Americans who have journeyed to India on a quest. Against three distinctly different backdrops, from a seemingly tranquil New Age retreat to the seamy underbelly of Mumbai to the Americanized sheen of Electronics City, Theroux transports us into the heart of the country, and illuminates the Indian panorama—and paradox—with a piercing light.
The House of Blue Mangoes, by David Davidar (2002). Read Davidar's sweeping novel chronicling three generations of the Dorai family in the seaside Indian village of Chevathar for its poetic prose and a strong sense of place. The novel's ambitious scope (1899-1947) covers the fall of the British Raj, subsequent caste wars, the rise of Gandhi, and independence.
In the Convent of Little Flowers, by Indu Sandaresan (2008). This collection of short stories explores the myriad faces of India, both rural and urban, that are striving toward modernity yet bound by century-old traditions. Whether through the eyes of a westernized woman returning to a countryside orphanage or a young girl struggling against her family's traditional values, Sandaresan presents a candid glimpse into Indian life. (Reviewed in Trip Lit.)
India, by Olivier Follmi (2005). In vivid reds, sun-kissed yellows, and rain-soaked greens, Follmi's images open a window into India's soul. A young couple splashes in a Mussoorie waterfall,a little girl looks longingly at her mother's jewelry in Gujarat. You sense the truth in what Radhika Jha writes in the book's forward: "You don't visit India; India begins to visit you."
The Interpreter of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri (2000). Lahiri, an American author of Bengali Indian descent, eloquently describes the American immigrant experience through this Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of nine stories. The story for which the book is named focuses on the Das family, Indian Americans who travel to India in order to learn more about their heritage. But with their India guidebooks, Western clothing, and American mannerisms, Mr. and Mrs. Das are no more than clueless tourists in the eyes of Mr. Kapasi, their driver and guide.
Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, by Geoff Dyer (2009). This two-part novel rockets the reader straight into the heart of two of the planet's most enigmatic and seductive cities. In the first half, Dyer touches the elusive soul of Venice through the eyes of British journalist Jeff Atman, who is sent to cover the Venice Biennale. Omnipresent art inspires romance as he ends up falling for an American art gallery worker named Laura. In part two, Varanasi turns into a mirror of Venice—with its own labyrinth of alleys, its watery illusoriness, its unchanging stolidity.
The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857, by William Dalrymple, (2006). Enriched by newly opened documents and eyewitness accounts, Dalrymple transforms historical writing in his empathetic documentation of the British siege of Delhi in 1857. He makes clear where his sentiments lie in his portrait of the last Mughal, Shah Zafar II, a mystic, poet, and calligrapher who built an empire based on art and culture.
Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found, by Suketu Mehta (2005). After a 21-year absence, Mehta returns to his native Bombay (now Mumbai), "the biggest, fastest, richest city in India." In documentary style, Mehta travels the criminal underworld with the help of a local cop, explores the Bollywood subculture, and gets an insider's look at Hindu and Muslim gangs.
*Slowly Down the Ganges, by Eric Newby (1966). We like A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush—Newby's breathless adventure in northeast Afghanistan (1958)—but we love his 1,200-mile (1,931-kilometer)journey down India's great river. Traveling with Newby is like traveling with Jeeves: He's a brilliant, stiff-upper-lipped companion, but he probably won't carry your bags.
The Twentieth Wife: A Novel, by Indu Sundaresan (2002). Step inside the lush, lavish imperial harem of the Mughal Empire as empress-to-be Mehrunissa falls in love with Crown Price Salim. Sundaresan's descriptions of 17th-century Mughal India are heady and overwhelming.
