I agree, as an eclectic reader myself, that the quality of the writing is the bottom line. I suspect you are a writer, too, based on your library and your moniker?

posted by kambrogi at 9:52 am (EST) on May 8, 2008

Well, it really depends on your taste what you would like, since A Suitable Boy is so unique -- kind of a marvelous soap opera with a thorough education on all things Indian in the background, wouldn't you say? Here are some very diverse suggestions from the Indian subcontinental genre (all fiction), which I loved:

A Fine Balance, by Rohintan Mistry (a Canadian/Indian writer)-- A beautiful and incredibly depressing book.
God of Small Things -- Arundhati Roi (check the spelling, Indian woman author) -- mystical, cyclical, reminds me of Toni Morrison's Beloved, won the Booker Prize
The Far Pavilions -- M M Kaye (British) -- literature of the Raj, takes place in what is now Pakistan, a rip-roaring romance/adventure tale
The Raj Quartet - Paul Scott, a British writer, tells about the last days of the Raj in four fat books. Based on the complex consequences of a relationship between an Indian man and a British woman. Great BBC TV series, too.
Brick Lane by Monica Ali- Indian-British immigrant fiction, a slow-moving psychological novel of an immigrant woman's transformation in the UK.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith -- features a potpourri of British immigrants, with one Pakistani family in the mix -- a sometimes-humorous romp with great characters facing the complexities of multi-generational acculturation problems
Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa -- Parsi writer from Pakistan tells a semi-autobiographical story of Partition. Heartbreaking, but based on truth. Made into a stunning film called Earth by Canadian/Indian film maker Deepa Mehta (who made a fabulous set of three films in a series about women and India -- Fire, Earth and Water)

I could go on and on! Forgive me for running off at the mouth!

posted by kambrogi at 8:24 am (EST) on May 7, 2008

I didn't realize you were new to LT until just now. Welcome to a wonderful community; I just passed my first anniversary.

I am never daunted by a big, fat book. If it is really good, it is never long enough.

I have read all of Seth's books except the book-length poem and his autobiography, so I am hot to read it. I have it on my wish list. I wonder if you have read other Indian, Indian-inspired or Indian immigrant fiction? It is of interest to me, and much of it is wonderful.

posted by kambrogi at 12:42 pm (EST) on May 5, 2008

I really enjoyed your review of A Suitable Boy. I, too, felt bereft when that big book came to an end. It is like saying goodbye to family members. I have never managed to get a friend to read it, but from time to time I do meet another fan!

posted by kambrogi at 10:29 am (EST) on May 5, 2008