Books to read before travelling to India

These books offer profound insights into the social, political, and cultural fabric of India.

• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie:
  • Insight: A magical-realist epic that chronicles the tumultuous birth of modern India, starting from the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947 (Independence Day). It's a key to understanding post-colonial Indian history and narrative style.
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy:
  • Insight: A beautifully written, heartbreaking novel set in Kerala (South India) that explores themes of forbidden love, the caste system, and family secrets in a specific regional context.
• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry:
  • Insight: Set during "The Emergency" (1975–1977) in a nameless city (often interpreted as Mumbai), this book is a sweeping, compassionate, and intense look at the lives of four characters from different social strata navigating hardship and political turmoil.
• The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga:
  • Insight: A Booker Prize winner that provides a darkly humorous and cynical perspective on modern India's class divide, corruption, and the entrepreneurial 'dark side,' primarily set in Delhi.