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Whether you’re out of the country or just out of the pool, a good book makes every lounge chair a little more comfortable and every delayed flight a little more bearable. We’ve combed through the stacks to find the latest in books that you won’t be able to put down, no matter what your summer plans are. From non-fiction to historical epics to breezy beach-reads, here is the essential list of books that should be on every Saheli’s summer reading list.
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
Epic in scope and beautifully narrated, Burnt Shadows tells the story of two families whose lives are intertwined by global conflict. The death of the man she loves in the bombing of Nagasaki sets Hiroko Tanaka on a journey that will take her away from Japan through Delhi, Kashmir, Afghanistan, and New York City. Using lush prose and vivid imagery, Shamsie masterfully creates a multi-generational tale, connecting the lives of people from far corners of the world in a story of love, loss, and humanity.
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One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
Simple storytelling and lovable characters make this charming debut by Farahad Zama a breezy summer read. Bored with retirement, Mr. Ali opens a marriage bureau, eventually hiring a young assistant named Aruna. And so the stage is set for a fun read that manages to delicately comment on the edicts of religion and caste that are still present in modern day India. Weaving stories of the clients into the narrative, Zama utilizes a lively cast of characters to tell an uncomplicated and heartwarming story.
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Imaginary Men by Anjai Manerjee
The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal
Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup
After the runaway success of his debut Q&A, the book that inspired Slumdog Millionaire, Vikas Swarup returns with another uniquely conceptual novel. When the son of India’s home minister, a spoiled playboy named Vicky Rai, is murdered in his own home, the suspects include a politician who believes he is Mahatma Gandhi, a Bollywood superstar, and a well-meaning but dim-witted American. Told from alternating perspectives of each of the suspects, Six Suspects is at times laugh-out-loud hilarious, acting as both a complete entertainer and a subtly crafted political and social critique of contemporary India.
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Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga
A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammad Hanif
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
What happens when a Pakistani-born lawyer leaves an unsatisfying job at a corporate law firm to pursue a career in writing? A critically acclaimed collection of short stories is born. Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “mesmerizing,” In Other Rooms is comprised of eight interwoven stories, all connected to a wealthy landowner named K.K. Harouni. Surrounding K.K. is a complex network of family, friends, and servants whose lives and stories paint an unflinchingly honest portrait of every strata of Pakistani society.
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Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
East, West by Salman Rushdie
Curfewed Night: One Kashmiri Journalist’s Frontline Account of Life, Love, and War in His Homeland by Basharat Peer
When journalist Basharat Peer left his job as a magazine reporter to live with his parents in Kashmir, he decided to use his own childhood as a starting point to tell the history of a region trapped in over two decades of war – the result was Curfewed Night, a passionately human account of a lesser-known component of modern Indian politics. Simultaneously heartbreaking and eye-opening, Peer eloquently covers a war-torn history with the clarity of a political journalist, while his choice to focus on the stories of the people of Kashmir adds a sense of compassion that is often left out of Kashmiri politics.
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Working the Night Shift: Women in India’s Call Center Industry by Reena Patel
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta
Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary
Providing a fresh take on world history, Ansary combats the predominantly Euro-centric narrative of world history by adding an Eastern twist. Beginning with the life of the Prophet Muhammad through the fall of the Ottoman empire to the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ansary tells the story of the world through an Islamic lens in this grand sweep of a book. Combining thorough research with a chatty and engaging style of storytelling, Destiny Disrupted both educates and entertains.
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The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj, 1600-1947 by Denis Judd
The Mughal World: India’s Tainted Paradise
by Abraham Eraly
First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood by Thrity Umrigar
A poignant account of her middle-class Parsi upbringing in Bombay, Thrity Umrigar gives brief but tender glimpses into her childhood. Opting away from a comprehensive memoir, Umrigar instead selects moments from her childhood and entwines them to tell an earnest coming-of-age story. With a writing style that drips with emotional sincerity, she reflects on her childhood with wisdom and humor, drawing the reader into her moments of joy, grief, wonder, and indecision, making her reflection a personal and relatable read.
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Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey
The Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi
Shadow Princess by Indu Sundaresan
The opulence and grandeur of the Mughal era come to life in Shadow Princess, Sundaresan’s third novel set in 17th century India. While the first two novels trace the story of Jahangir’s “Twentieth Wife,” Noor Jahan/Mehrunissa, the third installment focuses on Jahanara. Not much detail is available about Princess Jahanara, but Sundaresan makes full use of what is available, pairing it with vivid descriptions and an evident love for the time period to create an engrossing tale of intrigue and royalty. Whether read on its own or in conjunction with the first two books, Shadow Princess is a breathtaking and elegant tribute to the past.
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Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors
Taj: A Story of Mughal India by Timeri Murari
Think we missed a book? Let us know! Email us at CitySaheli@gmail.com and tell us what you’re reading this summer.
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