Published:
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The fate of four individuals collide in Bombay in the 1980s. When Dina Dalal takes in Ishvar and Om, a pair of tailors from a small village, along with Manek a young student, she sets in motion a tale of love and heartbeak, of laughter and despair as few have been told. This novel is that magic combination of simply written and deep, and I can't recommend it enough.
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Gosh
In the midst of the British Opium Wars, a ship sails to from Calcutta to Mauritius. On board are indentured servants, ambitious crew members and passengers with complicated histories. All will be shaped by the coming wars for the brutal opium trade in a tale filled with historical detail vivid imagery.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Set In Kerala in southern India during the 1960s this coming of age story follows the lives of the fraternal twins Rahel and Esta. It charts their experience, alongside those of other family members as the decisions they all make result in consequences beyond their reckoning. A commentary of modern India, the vestiges of colonialism and the complexity of the human experience, this book is simply great.
Swami & Friends by R.K. Narayan
Narayan's classic tale of a schoolboy striving to impress his friends while staying on the right side of his parents and school teachers. The writing is full of warmth and the story let you see through the eyes of a child the fictional town of Malgudi, the location for so many of the writer's future novels.
About the Author
Image
Robert Quinn is a Library Associate at the Shaw/Watha T. Daniel Neighborhood Library where he loves spending his days surrounded by books. An Irish native, Robert enjoys reading many genres, in particular literary and historical fiction. When not at work he can be found at his piano or enjoying a hike in one of DC's many beautiful green spaces.
Audience