With their father unable to find a job in Delhi, Asha, her older sister Reet, and their mother must go live with relatives in Calcutta while her father travels to New York in search of new opportunities. He hopefully promises that reunion is not far...
Anju Melvin, used to being first in the classrooms of her hometown of Kumarakom in India's southern state of Kerala, wins herself a scholarship for a year aboard at an elite private high school in Manhattan. But what clinches the award is not her own...
Geoff Dyer's latest novel, teasingly titled Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, is quite the mind game. To play, you obviously have to read the book. Here's the initial setup: two distinct parts with a few overlapping similarities. In the first, "Jeff in Venice," London journalist...
Even though it's only April (and the book doesn't even hit stands until next month), I'm announcing with absolute certainty that Burnt Shadows gets my unwavering vote as THE Book of the Year. I'll only be too happy to eat my words because that can only mean...
Four days after 9/11, a man wearing a turban shows up on Samar’s doorstep – and turns out to be her uncle. After years of estrangement, he’s determined to reunite the fractured family – and in the process teach Sam about her Sikh American heritage....
Frank and Ellie Benton have had the unthinkable happen to them: their precious 7-year-old son has died of a sudden illness. Even while Ellie is wracked with guilt, Frank blames her for what he believes was her negligence in not taking him to the hospital quickly...
Pinky Mittal, a 13-year-old schoolgirl in 1960s Bombay, lives with her extended family in a sprawling family bungalow in one of the city's more fashionable neighborhoods. Her grandmother, who rescued her after her mother's death as an toddler, dotes on her. Her aunt-by-marriage barely puts...
Much to her mother's chagrin, Aisha has almost reached the big 3-0 and (gasp!) and is still single – but she's smart, independent, and definitely fun-loving. Working as the guest relations manager of a swanky Delhi hotel, she knows all about fast-paced city life. One...
Neel is a handsome young doctor arriving at the family home in India to visit his ill grandfather. Back in his chosen home of San Francisco, he's got a gorgeous white girlfriend and his anesthesiologist career...
As horrible as some of the images are in this 2008 Booker Prize-winning debut novel, you can't help but chuckle just a little bit at some of the impossible shenanigans of its self-made unapologetic...
A harrowing anthology, comprised of 16 essays by some of the best writers of the international Indian diaspora, vividly explores the ravages of a too-fast growing AIDS community across India. Nikita Lalwani writes about a kind,...
Thank goodness the Pulitzer-winning Jhumpa Lahiri went back to her short story roots: The Namesake was okay, but disappointing after The Interpreter of Maladies which was such a shockingly remarkable debut.
Holy moly, now comes this unforgettable...
Immortalized by Deborah Kerr, Anna Leonowens – yes, that Anna, the one who taught the children of the King of Siam – was, without a doubt, a remarkable character. Unfortunately, her story remains buried in...
India in the 1940s is a time of tumultuous violence – the British troops are subduing independence efforts, citizens of different religious backgrounds are fighting each other, World War II is raging in Europe, and the...
When the brutal dictator Idi Amin violently grabbed power over Uganda, he declared in August 1972, that within 90 days all Indians would have to leave the country. Part of Uganda’s population since the 16th century,...
A 2007 Booker Prize nominee, Sinha’s third title is presented as a series of 23 directly transcribed tapes, spoken by a creature called “Animal,” who was once human before an industrial chemical catastrophe (inspired by the...
The long-awaited follow-up to Manil Suri's glowing debut, The Death of Vishnu, features headstrong Meera, who escapes her controlling father’s house at age 17 by marrying handsome crooner Dev which, alas, proves...
Looking into the brave new world, more likely than not, the next generations of America’s best and brightest will be working for Indian and Chinese multinational companies. Read why … and be prepared. Bonus: Fascinating and...
At the heart of M.G. Vassanji's sixth novel, The Assassin's Song, is an exercise in perspective. Definitions of right and wrong, truth and deception, the chosen and outcast – especially in matters having to do with...
The renowned cooking guru and award-winning actress presents an inviting memoir – complete with family recipes, of course! – about growing up in the sprawling family compound in Delhi, surrounded by extended family members, literally climbing...
