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Spotlight On: South Asian Heritage Month
July is South Asian Heritage Month, and we’ve been thinking about just how rich and varied the literary tradition is across the diaspora — and how much of it deserves more attention than it gets.
This list spans centuries and continents: Booker Prize winners and debut novels, mythological fantasy and sharp social satire, intimate family dramas and propulsive thrillers. What they share is a quality of writing that stays with you. Whether you’re returning to a beloved favourite or discovering something new, we hope there’s something here that surprises you!
A Passage North — Anuk Arudpragasam (Contemporary Fiction)
When Krishan learns that his grandmother's former caregiver has died, he makes the long journey by train from Colombo into Sri Lanka's war-torn north for the funeral. A novel that moves between the deeply layered interior of one man's mind and a country still scarred by civil war — a poignant memorial to the dead, and an exploration of the distances between who we are and what we seek.
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida — Shehan Karunatilaka (Contemporary Fiction)
Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida — war photographer, gambler, closet gay — has woken up dead, his dismembered body sinking in Beira Lake, with no idea who killed him. In a country where death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons all have motive, the suspect list is long. Now, in a celestial visa office, he has seven moons to contact the people he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that could shake Sri Lanka to its core. A magical realism whodunnit, rip-roaring and full of mordant wit.
Lies And Other Love Languages — Sonali Dev (Contemporary Fiction)
Vandy built a career as an advice columnist on honesty and courage — but since losing her husband, her public veneer is barely holding. When her daughter Mallika vanishes and estranged childhood friend Rani reappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. Meanwhile, Mallika, reeling from a genetic test that suggests her whole life has been a lie, finds that Rani may be the only one who knows the truth. A warm, emotionally rich novel about motherhood, friendship, and the lies we tell to protect the people we love — from LA to Mumbai.
Love, Chai, and Other Four-Letter Words — Annika Sharma (Contemporary Romance)
Kiran has spent years being the good daughter — holding her family together after her sister's rebellion, determined never to cause the same pain. Nash, a psychologist shaped by absent parents, has long since closed the door on love and family. When they meet in New York, the connection is undeniable — but following their hearts means defying everything they've built their lives around. A charming, warmhearted NYC romance about fighting outside expectations to build the life you actually want.
The Jasmine Throne — Tasha Suri (Fantasy)
Imprisoned in an ancient, crumbling temple by her dictator brother, Princess Malini has little hope of escape. Priya is one of the maidservants who attends her — anonymous by design, hiding a dangerous secret. When Malini witnesses something she shouldn't, their fates become irrevocably entwined. An epic sapphic fantasy set in a world inspired by Indian history, about two women — a vengeful princess and a maidservant with forbidden magic — who together could change the fate of an empire.
Fasting, Feasting — Anita Desai (Contemporary Fiction)
Uma, the plain, spinster daughter of a close-knit Indian family, is trapped at home, smothered by her overbearing parents and their traditions, unlike her ambitious younger sister Aruna, who brings off a 'good' marriage, and brother Arun, the disappointing son and heir who is studying in America. Across the world in Massachusetts, life with the Patton family is bewildering for Arun in the alien culture of freedom, freezers, and paradoxically self-denying self-indulgence.
The Star-Touched Queen — Roshani Chokshi (YA, Fantasy)
Cursed with a horoscope that promises Death and Destruction, seventeen-year-old Maya has known only fear and scorn. When her father arranges a political marriage, she becomes queen of the mysterious Akaran — a kingdom of locked doors, glass gardens, and a tree that bears memories. Her husband Amar is not what she expected, and neither is the power she finds within herself. But as secrets unravel and danger closes in, Maya must solve an ancient mystery spanning reincarnated lives to save everything she loves. Lush, mythological fantasy rooted in Indian folklore.
They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us — Prachi Gupta (Memoir)
Prachi Gupta's family looked like the American Dream — a doctor father, a nurturing mother, two high-achieving children straddling Indian American community and Pennsylvania suburbia. But belonging came at a cost. In this searing, deeply vulnerable memoir, Gupta unpacks the model minority myth and the hidden traumas it conceals, addressing her mother directly as she traces her family's slow unraveling and her own painful path to freedom. A heartfelt and urgent argument for compassion over belonging.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows — Balli Kaur Jaswal (Contemporary Fiction)
When Nikki takes a creative writing job at her local temple, she arrives with visions of emancipating the women of the community she once fled. What she finds instead is a group of widows with no interest in her ideals — but whose inner lives, once they start talking, turn out to be richer and more startling than she ever imagined. As they open up about womanhood, sexuality, and the dark secrets of their community, the class becomes something illicit, unexpected, and potentially dangerous for them all.
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line — Deepa Anappara (Contemporary Fiction, Crime)
Nine-year-old Jai has watched enough reality cop shows to know he's got what it takes to solve a case. So when a boy from his school goes missing, he enlists his friends Pari and Faiz and sets out into the most dangerous corners of their sprawling Indian city — the night bazaar, the railway station at the end of the Purple Line — to find him. But as more children vanish and the police remain indifferent, the trio must contend with terrified parents, dead ends, and rumours of soul-snatching djinns. Vivid and quietly devastating.
You People — Nikita Lalwani (Contemporary Fiction)
Pizzeria Vesuvio looks like any other London Italian restaurant — except the chefs are Sri Lankan and half the kitchen staff are undocumented. At its centre is Tuli, charismatic proprietor and self-styled Robin Hood, who promises to help anyone in need. Nineteen-year-old Nia is running from her past; Shan has fled the Sri Lankan civil war and is desperate to find his family. When Tuli's operation begins to unravel, all three face an impossible moral choice. A sharp, morally urgent novel about survival, complicity, and how far you'd go for a chance to live.
How to Kidnap the Rich — Rahul Raina (Contemporary Fiction, Thriller)
Ramesh Kumar grew up poor in Old Delhi, but his brilliance found a use: taking exams for the sons of India's elite. When one of his clients accidentally places first in the national university entrance exams, Ramesh spots an opportunity too good to pass up. What follows is a dizzying, darkly comic journey through game shows, crime, and an India of staggering extremes — beauty and squalor, old money and new celebrity, all colliding at once.
We hope you’ve found something that piques your interest! Until next time.
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Happy reading, book friends!