34 Books By Indian Authors That Everyone Should Read

    India is amongst the largest and most diverse countries in the world – here are a few authors who have made the most riveting attempts at the impossible task of capturing it.

    Andre Borges
    by Andre Borges

    BuzzFeed India Contributor

    1. Not Only The Things That Have Happened by Mridula Koshy

    Via crastascovers.blogspot.in

    Why you should read it: Not Only The Things That Have Happened tells the story of a mother who loses her son, and of how the boy becomes a man. The most engaging part of the novel is that it's told over a 36 hour period, in which time acts as a sort of narrator, taking us through decades and back.

    2. Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar.

    3. A House For Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

    Via liveauctioneers.com

    Why you should read it: Its protagonist, Mohan Biswas, is a classic anti-hero, simultaneously despicable and compelling.

    4. The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh.

    5. Chronicles Of A Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry.

    Via latestbookreviews.net

    Why you should read it: Chronicles Of A Corpse Bearer opens its readers' eyes to the lives of a near invisible section of Mumbai's Parsi community. Mistry gives us a glimpse into their often alienated and poverty stricken lives through a story about forbidden love.

    6. God's Little Soldier by Kiran Nagarkar.

    7. Serious Men by Manu Joseph.

    8. The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi.

    Via youthopia.in

    Why you should read it: The novel manages to capture the essence of Bombay, full of people with lonely hearts and burning ambition.

    9. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.

    10. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.

    11. The Inheritance Of Loss by Kiran Desai.

    12. The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond.

    Via price-hunt.com

    Why you should read it: The book is a heartwarming story of normal life that encompasses all the emotions that go with it.

    13. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

    14. Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.

    15. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

    16. East, West by Salman Rushdie

    Via bookscomefirst.com

    Why you should read it: As always, Rushdie expresses his thoughts with exuberance, precision, as well as snark.

    17. An Obedient Father by Akhil Sharma

    Via amazon.com

    Why you should read it: The novel is a fascinating glimpse into Indian business culture and family culture, while also touching upon the hardly touched upon topic of child abuse and the cultural response to the subject.

    18. The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob.

    19. A Matter Of Rats by Amitava Kumar.

    Via poughkeepsiejournal.com

    Why you should read it: A book that very surreally presents the joys and reflections of life in Patna.

    20. The Death Of Vishnu by Manil Suri.

    21. Our Moon Has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita.

    Via ashwinsharma.wordpress.com

    Why you should read it: For the heart wrenching emotions Pandita evokes through his passages.

    22. The Art Of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar

    23. An Area Of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul.

    24. Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee.

    Via smithsonianapa.org

    Why you should read it: Mukherjee's area of expertise is looking at India and India's various complex identities, and Jasmine is no exception.

    25. Love Among The Bookshelves by Ruskin Bond.

    26. The Stringer by Anjan Sundaram.

    27. The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor.

    28. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh

    29. Cobalt Blue by Sachin Kundalkar (Translated by Jerry Pinto).

    Via penguinbooksindia.com

    Why you should read it: The novel showcases one of the most shocking and brilliantly worded stories of love, albeit from different view points and orientations. The story will stick with you, and long after you read it, the novel will play on your mind, forcing you to revisit it from time to time.

    30. The Story Of My Assassins by Tarun Tejpal

    31. The Palace Of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

    32. Train To Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

    33. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.

    34. India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha.