literary historical fiction recs please

You have called on me. I read a lot of Historical fiction set in India, so sharing some love from my shelf:

My absolutely favorite book is The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy which won the 1997 Booker Prize and is set in 1970s Kerala, India. Trust me when I say this, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!

The most common sub-genres of Indian Historical Fiction are Partition Fiction (i.e. Fiction set with a backdrop of the 1947 India-Pakistan partition) and relatedly, fiction set during colonial India. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh is a classic that tells the tale of a fictional town and its residents at the India-Pakistan border in Punjab as the movement of people on both sides of the border commences and turns bloody during partition. Also, a classic is Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie, which blends magical realism and historical fiction beautifully. Another recently acclaimed novel, which, I am sure, will become a classic one day, is Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree Translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell, it won the International Bookers Prize in 2022 and centers a grieving 80-year-old woman who decides to face her childhood traumas from partition.

I also recently read and loved The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Set during colonial rule, it traces the life of the queen of the penultimate ruler of the princely state of Punjab, which was annexed by the British within her lifetime. Banerjee also has a more recent book called Independence set during partition. This book is unique because it is the only book I have come across that is set in Bengal which was also heavily affected during partition. It is a family saga centering three sisters, the choices they make, and the consequences they face. Full disclosure, I have enjoyed Banerjee’s other books more than this one. Also in this genre of Partition fiction (though not read by me, but well received in reviews) is Aanchal Malhotra’s The Book of Everlasting Things and Remnants of Separation.

I am currently reading Song of Distant Bulbuls by Simrita Dhir set in Punjab in the pre-independence era. It tells the story of a young Punjabi woman whose husband was conscripted into the army shortly after marriage. Similarly, from my TBR, set in colonial Bengal pre-independence and depicting slavery and depravity during British rule, is Chronicles of the Lost Daughters by Debarati Mukhopadhyay (translated from Bengali by Arunava Saha). Finally, also on my TBR, is Loot by Tania James that is a story of love and heist, set in the 18th Century in the palace of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Princely state of Mysore, India, who died fighting British annexation.

A lesser-known sub-genre is fiction centering armed struggles from the North Eastern states of India. Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, the Booker prize winner from 2006, peaks into the Gorkha movement in the 1980s which was a struggle for an independent Nepali-speaking state. Last Light of Glory Days by Avinuo Kire is a short story anthology from Nagaland, that centers the Indo-Naga conflict of the 1940s and the folklore of Nagaland. And finally from my TBR is Sahitya Akademi Award winner, Escaping the Land by Mamang Dai, which weaves fiction on top of the political turmoil and history of the North Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

There is also a plethora of Historical Fiction unrelated to war. Bouncing between the past (1920s) and the present day, Rajasree Variyar’s The Daughters of Madurai explores the issue of female infanticides. Empire by Devi Yesodharan narrates the tale of Aremis, a skilled warrior who becomes the only female bodyguard (fictional) of Emperor Rajendra Chola (~1000 BCE). I read this one ages ago, but remember it being thrilling, packed with action and politics, and filled with beautiful imagery from the time (think Bahubali sets). Also getting a lot of critical acclaim recently, by appearing on many top-lists including Oprah’s book club and President Obama’s favorite books of 2023, is Abraham Varghese’s The Covenant of Water. It is a family saga set in 20th-century Kerala and the only thing that is stopping me from picking it up is its 800-page length. (I am scared of anything >350 pages and so this is going to stay on my TBR for a while). On my TBR (also because of its pretty covers) is Urnabhih and its sequel, Chanakya’s Scribe by Sumedha Ojha is a female-starring espionage tale in the Mauryan Court in the times of the famous mathematician, economist, and politician Chanakya (375–283 BCE).

In a different and relatively lighter genre of things, there has been a boom in books that blend cozy crime and historical fiction. Vaseem Khan’s Midnight at Malabar House is a police drama novel series I have loved. It is set in post-partition (1950s) Bombay and stars the first female police officer (fictional) of the city solving tricky cases. Highly recommend it for a breezy and fun read. A similar fun series is The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey which is set in 1920s Bombay and features Perveen Mistry, the first female lawyer (fictional) in the country. And on my TBR with Tommy-Tuppence vibes, is The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra featuring a crime-solving husband-wife duo from 1920s Bangalore.

Finally, from the neighboring country of Sri Lanka, Seven Moons of Mali Almeida is one of my personal favorites and the Booker winner of 2022 is set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Also set against the same backdrop and on my TBR is Brotherless Night which has made rounds in some (especially south-asian) corners of Bookstagram. From Vietnam, centering the aftermath of the Vietnam War is Dust Child which I finished a few days ago and loved.

All the books in The Asian Saga by James Clavell