Right now, I’m halfway through Kankana Basu’s Cappuccino Dusk. The introduction read ‘Nostalgia for the inherent shabbiness of Calcutta, for busty Bengali women in crumpled saris, for the sight of trams and for roadside tea that one sipped from little earthen pots smelling of rain and wet soil and which one smashed daintily after one finished one’s tea’ and I was enchanted and sold. I’m loving the book so much, I don’t want to finish it. Reading books by Indian authors is my new favourite thing. They’re filled with a kind of colourful imagery that leaves me completely spellbound. Plus I’ve only really read Jhumpa Lahiri and Arundhati Roy before so it’s nice to discover some new writing.
On my reading wishlist are currently Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, Arrack in the Afternoon by Mathew Menacherry, Ravan and Eddie by Kiran Nagarkar, Dork by Sidin Vadukut and Vinegar Sunday also by Kankana Basu. If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them.
If the writing is anywhere as sensory as J. Lahiri’s, the book should make for great reading.
Happened to visit Kolkata recently, and walked until the feet hurt, so Cappuccino Dusk is now on my list.
Don’t really like Lahiri that much. And she’s probably about the worst speaker I’ve heard (she’s come here twice and is so boring!). I’d recommend A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth. And also, haven’t read it but everyone keeps raving about it: A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry.
shantaram by gregory david roberts
he’s not indian but it is an amazing book
by the way, youre blog is the greatest!
Hi Sheena,
I’d recommend ‘Cuckold’ by Kiran Nagarkar highly.
Also would love to know what you think about ‘Arrack in the Afternoon’.
Be brutal
Mat
Sea of Poppies is on my list too!
I really want to read Cappucino Dusk now – but for £35 on Amazon (!) you and I might have to do a swap of some kind
Have not read many other Indian writers, apart from Arundhati Roy and Vikram Seth. But I loved “A Black Englishman” by Carolyn Slaughter – not an Indian writer but it was set in India, and very beautifully written, from memory.
Err, hello?
Weeny go poof?
I would read both the Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaled Hosseini. He’s actually from Afghanistan, but both are absolutely breath taking and haunting. You will never forget them as long as you live.
if you havent read Shantaram yet, then just go and grab a copy..you cant rest until u have completed it..its so mesmerising.
Read THE COMICAL SAGA by Mayuresh Pokharankar.