Literary Fiction

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The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things

Set in Kerala, southern India, The God of Small Things tells the story of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel, whose childhood is shattered by a series of tragic events that permanently alter their family. Through a nonlinear narrative that moves between their childhood in 1969 and their reunion as adults, the novel explores the consequences of forbidden love, social prejudice, and deeply rooted cultural expectations. When their cousin Sophie Mol visits from England, an unexpected tragedy exposes the family’s hidden tensions and the cruelty of the social hierarchies governing their lives. At the centre of the story is Ammu, the twins’ mother, whose relationship with Velutha, a man from an oppressed caste, challenges the rigid boundaries of Indian society. Roy’s lyrical prose captures the beauty of childhood perception alongside the devastating effects of discrimination, silence, and loss. The novel examines how seemingly small moments can shape entire lives, revealing the profound consequences of breaking society’s unwritten rules.

Our City That Year

Our City That Year

Geetanjali Shree

An Indian city descends into communal violence, and the boundaries between neighbours, friends, and enemies begin to collapse. As religious extremism spreads and fear silences public life, three intellectuals struggle to make sense of the unfolding catastrophe. Shruti, a writer, finds herself unable to put the horrors into words; Hanif, an academic whose secular beliefs isolate him, watches his world shrink; and Sharad confronts the growing distance between himself and his childhood friend. Meanwhile, an unnamed narrator attempts to record what others might prefer to forget. Inspired by the political and social tensions surrounding the destruction of the Babri Mosque in 1992, Our City That Year is a haunting exploration of religious nationalism, fractured communities, and the responsibility of bearing witness when silence becomes complicity.

The Hungry Tide

The Hungry Tide

Set in the Sundarbans, a vast archipelago of mangrove forests and tidal rivers on the eastern coast of India, The Hungry Tide brings together three people from different worlds. Piya Roy, an American marine biologist of Indian descent, arrives to study the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. She meets Fokir, a local fisherman whose intimate knowledge of the waterways makes him an invaluable guide, and Kanai Dutt, a translator and businessman visiting his aunt on the islands. As their lives become intertwined, they encounter the region’s dangerous wildlife, political tensions, and precarious relationship between humans and nature. Through this richly layered story, Amitav Ghosh explores environmental conservation, cultural differences, displacement, and the struggle of vulnerable communities to survive in an unforgiving landscape. The novel examines the complex relationship between people and the natural world, questioning whether scientific knowledge, local traditions, and human ambition can coexist.

The Space Between Us (#1 Between Us)

The Space Between Us (#1 Between Us)

In Mumbai, the lives of two women from vastly different social worlds become intertwined through a relationship shaped by affection, dependence, and inequality. Bhima, an impoverished domestic worker, has spent decades serving Sera Dubash, a middle-class Parsi woman living in relative comfort. Both women have endured painful marriages and personal tragedies, yet the privileges available to Sera remain far beyond Bhima’s reach. When Bhima’s granddaughter Maya becomes pregnant outside marriage, the fragile balance between the two households is threatened, exposing the prejudices and unspoken rules that govern their relationship. As secrets emerge and loyalties are tested, the women must confront the boundaries imposed by class, gender, and social expectations. Set against the vivid backdrop of contemporary Mumbai, The Space Between Us is a moving exploration of female friendship, domestic labour, and the unequal ways society distributes dignity and opportunity.

The Roof Beneath Their Feet

The Roof Beneath Their Feet

Geetanjali Shree

In a close-knit residential complex in India, the rooftops of Laburnum House offer a rare refuge from the expectations and restrictions of everyday life. Chachcho, trapped in a lonely marriage, finds companionship in Lalna, a woman abandoned by her husband whom she takes into her home. Their intense and unconventional bond soon becomes the subject of neighbourhood gossip, as their closeness challenges accepted ideas about marriage, female desire and respectability. Years later, following Chachcho’s death, Lalna returns, prompting Chachcho’s nephew, Bitva, to revisit family memories and question the story of his own origins. Moving between perspectives and shifting recollections, Geetanjali Shree creates an intricate portrait of women’s lives, hidden desires and the stories families tell to protect themselves. The rooftop becomes a powerful symbol of freedom—a space where women can escape the watchful eyes of society and imagine lives beyond its boundaries.

The Lowland

The Lowland tells the story of two brothers, Subhash and Udayan, who grow up together in Calcutta but choose dramatically different paths as adults. During the 1960s, Udayan becomes involved in the Naxalite movement, a radical communist uprising that challenges India’s political and social order. Subhash, by contrast, leaves for the United States to pursue an academic career. When political violence destroys Udayan’s future, Subhash returns to India and makes a decision that binds him to his brother’s family for decades. The consequences of this choice unfold across generations, affecting relationships, marriages, and the identity of Udayan’s daughter, Bela. Lahiri explores guilt, loyalty, political conviction, and the lasting consequences of family secrets, showing how a single act can shape the lives of people who were never responsible for it.

The Story Hour

When Lakshmi, an Indian immigrant trapped in a loveless marriage, attempts suicide, she meets Maggie Bose, an experienced African American psychologist who becomes unexpectedly invested in her recovery. Lonely and isolated from her family in India, Lakshmi struggles to find her place in a country where she feels powerless and misunderstood. Maggie, who initially believes she can help Lakshmi through therapy, gradually discovers that their relationship is becoming something more complicated than a professional one. As the women share stories about their pasts, they develop a deep friendship that crosses boundaries of culture, class, and experience. But both carry secrets that threaten to shatter their growing trust. When painful truths emerge, their relationship is tested in ways neither could have anticipated. The Story Hour explores the stories people tell to survive, the complexity of human relationships, and the difficult path toward forgiveness and self-acceptance.

The Secrets Between Us (#2: Between Us)

The Secrets Between Us (#2: Between Us)

In the bustling streets of Mumbai, Bhima must rebuild her life after losing the domestic job she held for more than twenty years. Poor and illiterate, she has endured tremendous hardship, and now her greatest concern is securing a better future for her granddaughter, Maya. With few options available, Bhima struggles to support them both while confronting the betrayal of the family she once served. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Parvati, an elderly homeless woman whose sharp tongue and guarded nature conceal years of suffering. Despite their initial mistrust, the two women form an unlikely partnership selling fruit and vegetables at a local market. As they gradually share their stories, they discover a friendship built on mutual understanding, resilience, and the determination to survive. Together, they begin to imagine a future beyond the limitations imposed by poverty, gender, and social status. Set against the contrasts of modern Mumbai, The Secrets Between Us is a moving story about female solidarity, dignity, and second chances. Thrity Umrigar explores how friendship can emerge from hardship and how women who have been marginalized by society can find strength in one another.

The Namesake

The Namesake follows the Ganguli family as they move from Calcutta to the United States in search of a new life. Their son, Gogol, grows up caught between his Bengali heritage and the American culture in which he was raised. Named after the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol for personal reasons connected to his father’s past, he comes to resent the unusual name that distinguishes him from his peers. As he grows older, Gogol struggles with romantic relationships, family expectations, and the challenge of defining himself independently of his parents’ experiences. Following the family’s journey across several decades, Lahiri explores migration, cultural adaptation, and the complicated relationship between parents and children. The novel examines how names, memories, and inherited traditions shape identity, revealing that belonging is rarely a simple choice between two cultures.

A Burning

In A Burning, Megha Majumdar tells the story of three people whose lives become entangled after a terrorist attack on a train in India. Jivan, a young Muslim woman from a poor neighborhood, is arrested after posting a critical comment about the government’s response to the tragedy. As she awaits trial, two people who could help her pursue their own ambitions: Lovely, a hijra and aspiring actress who once received kindness from Jivan, and PT Sir, her former physical education teacher, who becomes involved in politics. As the legal system fails Jivan, the others face choices that reveal the costs of ambition, social conformity, and self-preservation. Through these intersecting lives, Majumdar examines religious discrimination, corruption, class inequality, and the fragility of justice in contemporary India. The novel offers a tense and compelling portrait of how political power and public opinion can determine the fate of vulnerable individuals.

Honor

Indian American journalist Smita returns to India to report on a disturbing case involving Meena, a Hindu woman who has been brutally attacked by her own family for marrying Abdul, a Muslim man. As Smita investigates the violence committed in the name of family honour, she encounters a society where religious divisions, patriarchal traditions, and social expectations can override individual freedom. While trying to help Meena, Smita also confronts painful memories of her own past and develops an unexpected connection with Mohan, an Indian man whose presence challenges her carefully constructed emotional distance. Through the intersecting lives of these women, Thrity Umrigar explores the cost of defying tradition, the meaning of belonging, and the courage required to live according to one’s convictions. Honor is a moving novel about love, religious intolerance, and the struggle for women’s autonomy in a deeply divided society.

A History of Burning

A History of Burning

In 1898, thirteen-year-old Pirbhai leaves his village in India, lured by the promise of work in East Africa. Instead, he is forced into labour on the British railway, where a desperate act committed in the name of survival becomes a secret that will haunt his descendants for generations. Years later, Pirbhai builds a family with Sonal in Uganda. Their children and grandchildren grow up amid the final years of British colonial rule, the country’s struggle for independence, and the political turmoil that follows. Among the next generation are three sisters, each with her own ambitions and understanding of what it means to belong. When Idi Amin orders Uganda’s Asian population to leave in 1972, the family is scattered across continents, carrying with them the memories, silences, and secrets of their past. Spanning more than a century and moving between India, East Africa, and Canada, A History of Burning traces how one act of survival reverberates through generations. Janika Oza weaves together colonial exploitation, political upheaval, family loyalty, and the search for home in an intimate multigenerational saga about the stories families preserve—and those they struggle to forget.

Uganda India Canada 2023