by Kiran Desai
First published 2006
A bitter retired judge seeks solitude in his deteriorating house beneath Mount Kanchenjunga. His quiet existence shatters when his orphaned granddaughter Sai arrives to live with him. Meanwhile, Biju, the son of the judge's talkative cook, struggles to survive as an undocumented immigrant in America while dodging immigration authorities. Back in the mountains, Sai falls for her attractive tutor, but their budding relationship faces danger when Nepalese insurgents sweep through the region. The violence forces everyone to confront hard choices about loyalty and survival. As chaos erupts around them, the judge must examine his own past and the choices that brought him to this isolated existence. Each character grapples with competing desires and divided loyalties in a world where hope and betrayal walk hand in hand.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: India, United States, Kanchenjunga
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
324 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: violence