Samskara by U. R. Ananthamurthy

A Kannada classic about a village that can't decide who should cremate an outcast. Short but hits hard. The A. K. Ramanujan translation is the one to get. The afterword is worth reading too.

Em and the Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto

A Bombay family living with a mother's mental illness, told with so much love and humour. Keep tissues nearby. It's funny right up until it isn't.

Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan

Small-town South India in short, gentle stories. Some of them are funny and some of them break your heart. Read one story a night before bed. It's comfort reading at its best.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory. The friendship in the second half got me. Go in knowing nothing. Don't read the blurb, don't watch any trailers.

Parva by S. L. Bhyrappa

The Mahabharata retold without the gods, as messy human politics. It changed how I think about the epic. It's long. Read it slowly over a month; it isn't a weekend book.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Twins in Kerala, a family tragedy, and language like nothing else. I underlined half the book. Push past the first 50 pages. The way it's told only makes sense once you're in.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

An AI friend watches a sick girl and tries to understand love. Quiet and tender, and it sneaks up on you. Save it for a slow weekend. It rewards a calm read.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

A driver writes letters about how he got out, and partly it's set in Bangalore. Darkly funny and very sharp. Watch the film afterwards, not before. The book's voice is the best part.

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

A Bangalore family gets rich and slowly comes apart. Short, quiet, and it stayed with me for weeks. Read it in one sitting; it's barely 120 pages. Then talk about the ending with someone.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Thirty years of friendship between two people who make video games together. I cried on the metro. You don't need to know games. It's really about friendship and work.