The Girl with Seven Lives
India

The Girl with Seven Lives

by Vikas Swarup

Identity & Belonging Thriller Mystery Fiction 2026

Summary

Twenty-five-year-old Devi has spent her life learning how to survive in a world that offers her few chances and even fewer protections. Growing up in the slums of Delhi, she has become a resourceful fighter, but her past has also earned her dangerous enemies. Now kidnapped and held at gunpoint, Devi faces a terrifying ordeal: her captor is auctioning her life online and demands that she confess to the crimes he believes she has committed. To stay alive, she must recount the extraordinary story of her seven lives, revealing secrets and unexpected truths as the night unfolds.

Moving across India, from Delhi and Punjab to Kerala, Goa, and Mumbai, the novel combines suspense, dark humour, and social observation. Through Devi’s shifting identities and remarkable resilience, Swarup explores survival, inequality, and a woman’s struggle to reclaim control over her own destiny.

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Country
India
Asia
About the author
Vikas Swarup
Vikas Swarup

Vikas Swarup is an Indian author and former diplomat best known for his internationally acclaimed debut novel, Q&A, published in 2005. The novel follows a poor young man whose life experiences enable him to answer questions on a television quiz show. It was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, bringing Swarup’s storytelling to a global audience. His second novel, Six Suspects, blends crime, satire, and social commentary to explore contemporary Indian society. His work often combines fast-paced plots with vivid characters and sharp observations about class, inequality, ambition, and the contradictions of modern India. Swarup’s books have been translated into dozens of languages. Alongside his literary career, he served in the Indian Foreign Service, bringing an international perspective to his writing.

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Details
Published
2026
Author
Vikas Swarup