A big fat monsoon reading list
Editor’s note: Tarini Uppal makes a case for finally diving into that 1,000 page book that’s been staring at you from your TBR pile. This diverse collection of fiction and non-fiction (biographies included) is perfect for binge-reading on rainy days.
Written by: Tarini Uppal is a seasoned publishing professional having worked at Penguin Random House India for close to a decade. She has worked with some of the country’s bestselling and award-winning writers—from Amitav Ghosh—to Ramachandra Guha. She loves all things ‘food’ and has published some gorgeous cookbooks. You can follow her food journey on Instagram @toopsie.
The monsoon has finally arrived and I couldn’t be happier. I started reading all the major classics like Anna Karenina and Middlemarch only in college but after that there has been no going back. If you’ve been afraid to start one, now is the time. The season is best spent with a literary feast that never ends–hefty books that will see you through gloomy, rainy days. The big bonus: bragging points for conquering that mighty tome.
First, the long fiction reads…
A House for Mr Biswas by VS Naipaul: I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t heard of this book but not many have actually read it. Set in Trinidad, it is the story of poor Indian immigrants and the sense of alienation they feel in a country so far from home. Naipaul’s unique use of language takes a little getting used to but don’t give up. I promise you, it will be worth it. And if you’ve read it and loved it, I recommend trying his biography in my non-fiction section.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: It’s only fitting to have a gothic, Victorian, romance mystery on a monsoon reading list. Following the life of an orphan, Sue, we are taken on a complete rollercoaster ride of thievery, plotting, mental hospitals and forbidden love in a dark and Dickensian Victorian England setting. Sarah Waters has also been called the ‘lesbian Dickens’ as she explores the relation of Sue and Maud, the lady she is plotting against. As crazy as this plot might sound, it is an absolutely unputdownable book full of moments where you will gasp out so loud that people around you will ask if you’re ok.
The Mirror of Beauty by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi: This is a novel of epic proportions, set at the end of the Mughal empire with the British rule in Delhi at its most glorious. We are taken across the length and breadth of the country through the lives of artists, Englishmen and princes. This translation from the Urdu by the author is like watching a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie. It has the most beautiful language, style, music and characters that you just want to get lost in. To give you a sense of the scale at which this book is written, a Mint review notes that “the description of Wazir’s attire at her first visit to Nawab Shamsuddin is itself spread over four pages, and that of his palatial residence in Daryaganj takes up over five”.
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman: There was a lot of buzz around this book when it got shortlisted for the Booker in 2019 but most people were frightened by the door stopper that it is. It is told in the stream of consciousness style as one long internal dialogue of a middle-aged lady in Ohio who is busy baking, looking after her kids while trying not to think of all the bad things happening in the world like climate change, mass shootings and her own cancer. In over a thousand pages of the book she apparently only has eight sentences! As the Guardian reviewer put it: “This is a novel that rewards perseverance, is truly unique, and feels like an absence in your life when you finish it”.
Next, the long non-fiction reads…
Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore: This masterpiece of a book casually packs in three thousand years of history of the most fiercely contested piece of land in the world. Jerusalem is unlike any history of a place I’ve read. It is so readable and almost thrilling in its style that you sometimes forget you’re reading history and not historical fiction. From the very beginning of civilization, to the greatest emperors and dynasties, he doesn’t spare the reader any blood and gore along the way. I don’t know when peace will come to Jerusalem or if it ever will, but reading this book gives you some context and maybe even a tiny ray of hope.
Wild Swans by Jung Chang: I’m embarrassed to admit that I barely knew anything about China’s history before I read this book. If you’re not a big history or nonfiction reader in general but wish you were more well informed, this is exactly the book to read. Told through the lives of the narrator, her mother, and her grandmother, Wild Swans tells you the story of China through the cultural revolution. What I love the most is that it is told through the lives of women who would have otherwise been erased in the history books. The struggle and hardships they faced are particularly terrifying and gruesome that you almost wish it weren’t true.
The World is What it is by Patrick French: VS Naipaul is one of the most disliked contemporary writers. He always spoke his mind and never seemed apologetic. In this authorised biography, Patrick presents him exactly like he is, warts and all. It spans Naipaul’s life from his birth to the late 90s. Even if you haven’t read Naipaul and don’t care about him, read this book. It is easily the best biography I have ever read and it has changed the way people write biographies forever.
Vijaylakshmi Pandit by Manu Bhagavan: We all know of Nehru’s overachieving sister as President of the UN General Assembly, a diplomat or a cabinet minister but what do we really know about her life? In this time of a book you will be taken through an idyllic childhood, the traumatic freedom struggle and the most glamorous life around the globe. It even has all the juicy bits about how she was not allowed to be with Syud Hussain, the man she loved and her fights with her niece Indira Gandhi. Most importantly it portrays the hard truths of being a woman way ahead of her time. Since this is a feminist biography, I particularly love that each chapter is the title of an iconic feminist book!
