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Recommendations: Best Indian Books in Recent Years

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Indians! 

Here's hoping we continue to enshrine the principles on which our Republic was founded and continue to appreciate our diversity! 

Sharing a list of recent Indian books that are absolute 5-star reads! Each of these is highly recommended. 


 


1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is an absolute must-read. Easily the best book we've read in years! Full review here

2. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy is a very relevant book to read about the lives of various characters in present-day India. Highly recommend! 

3. Villainy by Upamanyu Chatterjee has been fully reviewed here and is a must-read! 

4. The Blind Matriarch by Namita Gokhale is set during the early months of the pandemic in 2020 and is a wonderful, immersive read. Full review can be found here.

5. The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar is a story of a mother-daughter duo and the trials and tribulations faced by them. A must-read! Full review can be found here.

6. Chronicles of Lost Daughters by Debarati Mukhopadhyay is an interesting, heartbreaking story of the fate of Indian indentured labourers, who were sent to Guyana in the late 19th century. A must-read. 

7. A Burning by Megha Majumdar is based on the events of 2020 and can give you a bit of PTSD but it is an absolute must-read. Highly recommend. 

8. Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors by Aravind Jayan is about the hypocrisy of our society when it comes to romantic relationships between young people. A relevant little book to read. 

9. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappa is a brilliant book about the lives of the invisible (to the police, society) people, who live in our slums. It is an absolute must-read. Full review can be read here

10. Dirty Women by Madhumita Bhattacharya takes on societal prejudices and biases when it comes to women and the choices that they make. Set in Calcutta in 2002, this book is centred around a single (unwed) mother, whose daughter goes missing and the media frenzy that ensues thereafter. Full review can be found here.


Hope you enjoy these recommendations and if you pick up any of these, do tag me on Instagram. 

Have a great day, guys! 


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