A Suitable Boy

1 About this book

A Suitable Boy is a novel by Vikram Seth, published in 1993. With 1,349 pages (1,488 pages in paperback), the English-language book is one of the longest novels published in a single volume. A Suitable Boy is set in a newly post-independence, post-partition India.

The novel follows four families during 18 months, and centres on Mrs. Rupa Mehra's efforts to arrange the marriage of her younger daughter, Lata, to a "suitable boy". Lata is a 19-year-old university student who refuses to be influenced by her domineering mother or opinionated brother, Arun.

Her story revolves around the choice she is forced to make between her suitors Kabir, Haresh, and Amit. It begins in the fictional town of Brahmpur, located along the Ganges. Patna, Brahmpur, along with Calcutta, Delhi, Lucknow and other Indian cities, forms a colourful backdrop for the emerging stories.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: a love story and a long read.

• India in fiction
• India
• Romance