If you enjoy reading novels by Thrity Umrigar then you might also like the following authors:
Jhumpa Lahiri is an author readers often turn to after enjoying Thrity Umrigar’s novels about family ties and cultural identity. Lahiri’s novel “The Namesake” portrays the life of Gogol Ganguli, the son of Bengali immigrants in America.
Through Gogol’s struggle between his parents’ cultural expectations and his own American upbringing, Lahiri captures the tensions of belonging to two worlds. Her writing is crisp, honest, yet deeply sensitive to the emotional landscape of immigrant families.
If you found depth and emotional honesty in Thrity Umrigar’s stories, Lahiri’s work will resonate.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American author known for novels that explore cross-cultural experiences, family bonds, and the dynamics of immigrant life.
Readers who appreciate Thrity Umrigar’s sensitive portrayals of life in multicultural landscapes may also enjoy Divakaruni’s book “The Space Between Us.”
It follows two women, Sudha and Anju, cousins brought up together in India, whose close bond is tested by secrets, misunderstandings, and fate.
As they face unexpected challenges and tough choices, their relationship shifts in powerful ways, capturing the essence of friendship, love, and resilience against difficult odds.
Divakaruni skillfully evokes the emotional realities of navigating traditional expectations while seeking personal happiness and independence.
Anita Desai is an author known for exploring deep human emotions and family dynamics in modern-day India. If you enjoy books by Thrity Umrigar, you’ll appreciate Desai’s novel “Clear Light of Day”.
It tells the story of siblings Bim and Tara, two sisters who return to their childhood home in Old Delhi. Over the novel the complexities of family ties, personal losses, and enduring memories surface.
Desai captures the tension, regret, and affection between family members against a backdrop of changing Indian society. Her characters are richly drawn, flawed and authentic, making “Clear Light of Day” a memorable look into love, nostalgia, and the bonds we cannot leave behind.
Kiran Desai is an Indian author known for her vivid storytelling and keen insight into cultural identity, class, and displacement. Her novel, “The Inheritance of Loss,” explores the lives of diverse characters in the foothills of the Himalayas during the 1980s.
Set against a backdrop of political unrest, the narrative follows Sai, a teenage girl who moves to live with her grandfather, a retired judge in a decaying colonial mansion.
Through Sai’s experiences and the intersecting stories of those around her—including Gyan, her tutor and romantic interest, and Biju, the cook’s son who travels to New York—Desai examines how personal dreams and national histories collide.
Readers who enjoy Thrity Umrigar’s thoughtful portrayals of complex relationships and cultural crossroads will likely connect deeply with Desai’s layered storytelling in “The Inheritance of Loss.”
Kamila Shamsie is a Pakistani-British author known for her powerful storytelling that explores complex family dynamics, identity, and culture. If you’ve enjoyed Thrity Umrigar’s heartfelt narratives, Shamsie’s novel “Home Fire” offers a similarly emotional journey.
The story follows the lives of two British-Pakistani families whose paths become intertwined in unexpected and tragic ways. Through the perspectives of siblings Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz, themes of loyalty, love, betrayal, and politics emerge vividly.
Shamsie gives life to questions about belonging and duty, and she asks what sacrifices a person might make when family loyalties collide with personal values.
Books by Arundhati Roy explore the lives of regular people against a backdrop of social issues and historical change, similar to the themes found in Thrity Umrigar’s novels.
Roy is an Indian author who thoughtfully captures the complexity of human relationships and societal pressures. Her novel “The God of Small Things” is set in Kerala and follows twins Rahel and Estha.
Their family faces strict cultural traditions and biases that deeply affect their childhood. Roy vividly portrays how small choices can lead to unexpected tragedy and reveals a touching, powerful story about love, prejudice, and loss.
Readers who appreciate Thrity Umrigar’s stories of nuanced relationships and negotiating cultural expectations will find Arundhati Roy’s storytelling equally meaningful and memorable.
If you enjoy Thrity Umrigar’s emotionally rich storytelling, Rohinton Mistry’s novels may resonate with you as well. Mistry, originally from Mumbai and now based in Canada, captures the everyday lives and struggles of ordinary individuals in India’s complex social landscape.
In his acclaimed novel “A Fine Balance,” four strangers from vastly different backgrounds come together in a cramped apartment during India’s State of Emergency in the 1970s. Each character’s experiences reflect the political turmoil and intimate personal battles of that era.
Through friendship, conflict, tragedy, and resilience, their connected lives offer a powerful glimpse into human endurance in difficult times. Mistry writes about hardship, yet his characters find moments of warmth and humor that make their stories memorable and deeply human.
Readers who enjoy Thrity Umrigar’s narratives about family and personal identity may connect well with the novels of Manju Kapur. Kapur is an Indian author whose work focuses on middle-class Indian families and the struggles women face between tradition and modernity.
Her novel “Difficult Daughters” explores this dynamic through the story of Virmati, a spirited young woman in pre-partition India who seeks education and independence despite strict societal expectations.
As Virmati challenges the roles assigned to her by family and culture, readers experience the tensions, sacrifices, and quiet rebellions of a woman caught between personal dreams and traditional obligations.
Manju Kapur’s storytelling offers an authentic, thoughtful portrayal of ordinary lives shaped by historical and cultural forces, well-suited for fans of Umrigar’s emotionally authentic fiction.
Shilpi Somaya Gowda is an author whose stories beautifully weave together family, culture, and the bonds defined by complex choices and love across distances.
If you enjoy the emotional depth and cultural exploration found in novels by Thrity Umrigar, then Gowda’s book “Secret Daughter” may resonate with you. It follows two families bound together by one child, Asha, who was born in India and adopted by a family in America.
The book offers an intimate look into motherhood, identity, and the pull between traditions in India and a life in America. Gowda’s skill at capturing both the vibrant colors and painful struggles of her characters makes “Secret Daughter” a moving and thought-provoking read.
Bapsi Sidhwa is a Pakistani-American author known for her vivid storytelling and exploration of culture clash. Readers who appreciate Thrity Umrigar’s sensitive portrayals of complex characters navigating cultural divides might enjoy Sidhwa’s novel “Cracking India.”
Set during the turbulent partition of India in 1947, the story follows young Lenny, a spirited girl from Lahore, who sees the unfolding chaos through innocent yet deeply observant eyes.
As political tensions rise, Lenny’s comfortable world slowly breaks apart, exposing friendships tested by religious division. Through Lenny, Sidhwa captures a deeply human side of history’s dramatic and painful shifts.
If you enjoy Thrity Umrigar’s thoughtful characters and rich portrayals of Indian society, you might also appreciate the works of Rupa Bajwa. Bajwa brings sharp insight into daily life in contemporary India.
Her novel “The Sari Shop” introduces readers to Ramchand, a humble sari-shop assistant in the bustling city of Amritsar.
Ramchand’s ordinary life takes a turn when he becomes curious about the lives of his wealthy customers, leading him into situations that reveal the stark divides and personal struggles within Indian society.
Bajwa’s clear, accessible style and genuine empathy for her characters make the story resonate deeply.
Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American author known for heartfelt storytelling that explores human relationships and cultural conflicts. His novels often focus on family bonds and personal redemption amid difficult circumstances.
In “The Kite Runner,” Hosseini tells the story of Amir, a boy from Kabul haunted by a betrayal he committed against his best friend, Hassan.
Set against Afghanistan’s turbulent history, the novel follows Amir’s journey toward forgiveness and redemption years after the incident, stretching from Kabul’s vibrant neighborhoods to a new life in America.
Hosseini layers friendship, guilt, rivalry, and courageous redemption into a powerful narrative that remains unforgettable long after the final chapter.
Readers who appreciate Thrity Umrigar’s thoughtful blend of personal histories and broader cultural narratives might also connect deeply with Amitav Ghosh. Ghosh’s novel “The Hungry Tide” weaves together humanity and nature in India’s Sundarbans islands.
The story follows Piyali Roy, an Indian-American marine biologist who travels to the Sundarbans to study rare river dolphins, and Kanai Dutt, a translator from Delhi who visits to explore his uncle’s intriguing journals.
Their lives intersect in this complex and beautiful landscape filled with mangrove forests, dangerous tides, and local myths and legends.
Through interpersonal drama and ecological urgency, Ghosh captures the tensions between conservation efforts and traditional ways of life, immersing readers in the profound beauty of the region.
Meena Kandasamy is a bold and insightful Indian author known for bringing raw emotion and vivid characters into explorations of personal and political struggles.
Her novel “When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife” narrates the harrowing experience of a young woman trapped in a violent marriage.
Through lyrical prose and sharp honesty, Kandasamy portrays resistance and resilience that evoke powerful responses from readers.
If you’re drawn to Thrity Umrigar’s stories of women navigating complex personal lives within broader cultural expectations, you might appreciate the depth and intensity of Meena Kandasamy’s writing.
Books by Monica Ali often explore immigrant experiences and family relationships, themes that resonate with fans of Thrity Umrigar. Ali’s novel “Brick Lane” follows the story of Nazneen, a young woman from Bangladesh who moves to London for an arranged marriage.
Set in the vibrant community of London’s East End, the story portrays Nazneen’s struggle between tradition and her growing independence. Ali paints a vivid picture of cultural adjustments, personal desires, and complicated family ties.
Readers who enjoy the emotional depth and rich character portrayals of Umrigar’s works might find themselves equally connected to the journey of Nazneen in “Brick Lane.”