Multicultural Fiction: India

Readers will probably be familiar with the Indian writer Arundhati Roy (winner of the Man Booker Prize in 1997), the British Indian writer Salman Rushdie, and Indian-American writers like Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Jhumpa Lahiri. Or perhaps you like to watch Monsoon Wedding and Bollywood films, eat Indian food, listen to Indian music, or have even been to India. Even if you aren't too familiar with Indian culture or writers, if you enjoy multicultural reads, we have some suggestions for you!

Most of the suggested reads are by Indian authors or authors of Indian heritage, but we have included some books by non-Indian writers who have lived in India or have ties to the Indian sub-continent.

Kids and Teens

The Monkey King by Shobha Viswanath & Uma Krishnaswamy

Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari

Child of Spring by Farhana Zia

Hope is a Girl Selling Fruit by Amrita Das

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj 

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier [eBook, eAudio]

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami 

Indie Girl by Kavita Daswani 

Adults

Where Earth Meets Water by Pia Padukone

Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodman

The Artist of Disappearance: Three Novellas by Anita Desai

The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi

The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, India's "Most Private Investigator" by Tarquin Hall

The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi

The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup

The Journey by Indira Ganesan

The City of Devi by Manil Suri

If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

An Equal Music by Vikram Seth

The Writing On My Forehead by Nafisa Haji

English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee 

Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali

Blind Faith by Sagarika Ghose [eBook]

Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry 

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru

Family Life by Akhil Sharma

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra

The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob

Passages: 24 Modern Indian Stories edited by Barbara H. Solomon and Eileen Panetta

The library catalog also features many films set in India, including Bollywood movies! 

Links

The Top 10 Desi Chick-Lit Novels

Desi Diaries: 10 retellings of Indian Mythology

12 Books By Indian Authors You Need to Read Now [India Times]

The 17 Best Indian Novels and Travel Books [The Independent]

Greatest Indian Novels You Can't Afford to Miss [Hindustan Times]