Indian fiction has always been a passion of mine – I devoured novels by Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai and Jhumpa Lahiri before becoming an Indian fiction author myself.
This page is devoted to my top ten favourite Indian fiction novels. If you’ve enjoyed any of these authors as much as I have then you might also enjoy my debut novel Monsoon Memories and my subsequent novels, The Forgotten Daughter and The Stolen Girl. Set in India, Monsoon Memories is a story about a fractured family, a forbidden secret, and a little girl looking for answers. The Forgotten Daughter is about a woman living in the UK who finds out she was adopted from India via a letter left in her parents’ will. It explores the themes of identity and roots. The Stolen Girl is thirteen year old Diya, whose mother is arrested for stealing her. The Stolen Girl asks the question: ‘How far would YOU go to protect your child?’ and involves a mother’s love, a long-buried secret and the search for the truth.
No. 1. The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
I read The God of Small Things when it came out and it made a big impression on me. I was at university, studying engineering but secretly wanting to be a writer and the sheer beauty of Arundhati Roy’s prose, her writing style, the way she was able to get inside the mind of a child won me over. Arundhati Roy writes about an India I can relate to- the story is set in Kerala which is near where I grew up. Like the protagonists, I grew up on pickle and the monotony of daily mass at church. I can still picture Rahel bored during the funeral, talking to the dead girl. In terms of Indian fiction, this is definitely my all-time favourite.
No. 2. Interpreter of Maladies – Jhumpa Lahiri
Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories are beautiful. The characters stay with you long after you leave their pages. It is difficult in short stories to build a rapport with the characters but Jhumpa achieves this effortlessly. Another favourite Indian author, her fiction conjures up an India I can identify with
No. 3. The Inheritance of Loss – Kiran Desai
This was a gem of a book. One of the early readers of my manuscript asked me if I had read it and so I gave it a go. I couldn’t put it down. The angst, the beauty of the writing makes this book by one of the best Indian authors out there the third on my list.
No. 4. The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
I laughed out loud while reading this book. It is very dark, explores some serious issues but with a tongue in cheek humour hard to resist. Aravinda Adiga had a knack of tackling major issues with a panache that leaves you breathless and wanting to read more. In terms of Indian fiction, this definitely is one of the best and Aravinda Adiga is one of the best Indian authors there is.
No. 5 Bitter Sweets – Roopa Farooki
While browsing Bitter Sweets in Borders, I was drawn in by the first chapter and could not put the book down. I left the store with the book, reading it on the escalator and the bus home, and finished it in one sitting. It is an absolute joy to read, a real gem of a book. Brilliant Indian fiction by an impressive Indian author.
No. 6. 2 States – Chetan Bhagat
Chethan Bhagat’s 2 States had me in hysterics. This Indian author is able to write about issues that plague India, the big divide between north and south, parents and children with so much humour. He exposes our quirks, makes us Indians laugh at ourselves.
No. 7. Malgudi Days – R.K Narayan
I do not think there is any other Indian author who writes about childhood with as much insight as R.K.Narayan. I grew up reading R. K. Narayan. For me, he is the Indian author.
No. 8. Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
I read Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup after Slumdog Millionaire, based on his book Q & A, came out. I liked it very much. He is able to get inside the minds of his characters, expose them in all their flaws, expose the corruption prevalent in India brilliantly. A splendid Indian author.
No. 9. Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee – Meera Syal
I know she isn’t strictly Indian- she was born and brought up in the UK – but I loved reading this book about the Asian community in Britain. A funny and poignant book, I would rate Meera Syal right up there among my favourite Indian authors writing about topics relevant to modern day Indians who live in the UK.
No. 10. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Another author I grew up reading. Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle book, Kim and Just So Stories were childhood fodder, so I had to include him in this list of my top ten Indian authors.
Do you agree with this list? Who are your favourite Indian Fiction authors? I’d love to hear your thoughts via the comments section.
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Hi Renita. Interesting selection of Indian books. I would add one more Indian author to your list — Amitav Ghosh. In his latest trilogy (of which two are out: Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke), he blends history with fiction and does an amazing job of it. Unputdownable!
Thanks for this, Adite. Haven’t read either ‘The Sea of Poppies’ or ‘The River of Smoke’. Will do. Thank you 🙂
I would recommend Peter Church’s book Added Value-the life stories of Indian business leaders. Amazing insight on some truly inspirational people. You should read this book not only because it was fantastically insightful and interesting in relation to the individuals but also gives the reader an incredibly helpful view of the mindset of the business leaders. The book is an excellent primer for anyone seeking to do business.
http://amzn.com/B009PMPKZ4
We have Interpreter of Maladies as one of the books to read for my book club. I also really enjoyed Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (her first novel) and Thrity Umrigar’s The World We Found. I’m putting you right up there with my favorite Indian fiction authors too 🙂
Thanks so much Tanya for this lovely comment and for the wonderful review. I will definitely put ‘Secret Daughter’ and ‘The World We Found’ on my To Read List. Someone else also recommended ‘The Secret Daughter’. Am curious now 🙂
Kipling was an Orientalist. See Edward Said’s book on Orientalism.
Thank you for this. I surely will.
Love your work, could you help me find the name of a book ,I read it 7 years back and its very tough finding a book with just the name of the main character.I know its a lame thing to ask for but if you could help this worm ,I would be eternally grateful to you.The name is “maya” and its genre is romance/drama to the best of my knowledge. Thank you
Hi Shravan, Thank you for this message. I am so sorry but I did look for a book with ‘Maya’ as the main character, but have drawn a blank so far. Will keep looking and let you know if I find it.
Hi Shravan, I remember reading this book called One Hundred Shades of White by Preethi Nair and the main character was Maya. Wonder if this is the same book? Hope this helps!
Hello I liked ur work very good have u written any secondary writing or secondary sources or reviews for the works of thrity umrigar.even I like 2 states by chetan bhagat have u watched the movie not bad the novel is good.pls give me reply im working on thrity umrigar u can help me out.
Hi Sharon, Thank you for this message. i am really sorry but I have not done any reviews on Thrity Umrigar’s work. Best Wishes, Renita
Hi , I feel sad that you missed the best Indian English writer of all times! Amitav Gosh; I havent seen a writer like this who writes with such power and language is his craft. I wish you read all his books.. please..
Hi Faris, Thank you so much for this message and for recommending Amitav Ghosh. I’ll definitely read his books.
Hi Renita, I loved your book ‘Monsoon Memories’. I am passionate about Indian fiction too and strongly feel that the time has come to promote the wonderful work that writers like you produce. As part of this endeavour, I have recently started my blog www.indianfictionforyou.blogspot.co.uk where I review books by South Asian authors.
I would like to add to your list 2 of my favourite authors – Rohinton Mistry and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Hope you enjoy their books!
Looking forward to your latest novel next month!
All the best,
Snehal
Dear Snehal, Thank you so much for this lovely message. I have visited your website and love your blog. Rohinton Mistry and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni are on my list or To Read Indian authors -thank you so very much for your recommendation. I hope you like my new book. Many thanks. X
Thank you so much Renita! The encouragement is much appreciated x
i think malgudi days could be on the 2 states, that was much much better then 2 states
Yes, I did love Malgudi Days very much. A classic and so beautifully written, conjuring up the essence of childhood.
Hi Renata,
You have to read the Toss of a Lemon by Padma Vishvanathan. It’s another amazing work set in South India as well.
Thank you so much for this, Divya. Looking forward to reading Toss of a Lemon.