The Best Indian Books Of 2023
End of year lists are always a challenge to put together. We don’t always read chronologically, and it’s famously tough to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to modern publishing. But it’s been a year of many excellent new releases by Indian writers, and we’ve chosen a few of our favourites that are worth checking out. We’ll be doing another list of our favourite international books this week, so keep your eyes peeled.
Atharva Pandit - Hurda
This debut novel is an investigation that blends reportage and commentary with plot deftly, Hurda is about the disappearance of three young girls on Valentine’s Day in 2013 from Murwani, a village in the interior of Maharashtra. Told through the voices of the many whose lives intersected with those of the three sisters, the book takes on heavy themes with dark humour and an inventive approach. Based on a real-life incident, it truly showcases how fiction can be more true than news in today’s India.
Devika Rege - Quarterlife
A character-driven novel that takes on the big themes of new India, Devika Rege’s debut is an assured and powerful work alternating between three main protagonists and bringing together their lives while tackling perceptions, politics and the personal in an effortless manner. There’s a reason it’s become one of the most talked about new releases of 2023. Check out our interview with Devika here, where she discusses her writing process, influences and much more.
Vivek Shanbhag - Sakina’s Kiss
Exquisitely translated by Srinath Perur, Sakina’s Kiss is the latest by the masterful Vivek Shanbhag, author of Ghachar Ghochar, which is undoubtedly one of the best Indian books of recent decades. A delicate, precise meditation on family life, the persistence of biases, masculinity and India’s changing socio-political landscape, told with simplicity and tact, this is a release that’s been worth the wait.
Radhika Iyengar - Fire on the Ganges
A thoughtful, effective book of reportage, Fire on the Ganges is the first attempt to chronicle the everyday realities of the Dom community. It plunges into Banaras's historical past, while narrowing its lens to a few spirited characters. In their tales of struggle and survival, loss and ambition, betrayal and love, it tells the story of caste, modern India and a community struggling to find a place beyond ancient tradition.
Chetna Maroo - Western Lane
Though this is technically a British-Indian story, Western Lane is also an accomplished debut that caught the attention of the Booker committee, among others. It’s a novel about grief, sisterhood and training, as well as a coming of age story that is both profound and simple. It’s about a young girl dealing with loss, dedicating herself to squash, and the shifts in herself and family as sport becomes her world.
Perumal Murugan - Fire Bird
The winner of the 2023 JCB Prize, Fire Bird is a carefully crafted tale of one man's search for elusive permanence. Muthu has his world turned upside down when his father divides the family land, leaving him with practically nothing and causing irreparable damage to his family. Through the unscrupulous actions of his eldest brother, Muthu is forced to leave his world behind and seek out a new life for himself, his wife and his children.
Zeyad Masroor Khan - City on Fire: A Boyhood in Aligarh
In this coming-of-age memoir, Khan writes, with searing honesty and raw power, about the undercurrents of religious violence and the ensuing 'othering' from his schooldays in Aligarh, to his years as a college student in Delhi, to ultimately becoming a journalist documenting history as it happened. City on Fire is a rare, visceral portrait of how everyday violence and hate have become a part of our society. It is as much an examination of religion and violence, imagined histories and fractured realities, as it is a paean to the hope of continued unity.