A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

I was totally unprepared for 1,349 pages and when I saw the four family trees sketched out, I knew I was in trouble. While I did manage to get through it, most readers, inclduing myself may have preferred a series of books. It felt like a miniseries, and in fact, I found that it was made into one in 2020.

Set in 1950’s post-independent India, it follows four privileged families as they face a new world where some well established norms are now being questioned by its younger members.

Mrs. Rupa Mehra has made marrying her youngest daughter, Lata, to a suitable boy, her life’s work and so the conflict begins.

Intelligent and beginning to embrace some independence, Lata Mehra, tolerates her mother’s intrusiveness and opinions out of respect. She does not object to marriage but believes the choice should be hers and she certainly has options; Kabir, Haresh or Amit.

Maan Kapoor is the black sheep of his family who falls for a prostitute and through a series of misunderstandings seriously injures a friend and ends up in prison.

The wife of Lata’s overbearing brother Arun, Meenakshi has not endeared herself to her mother-in-law. She is self-centered and promiscuous and sells a precious wedding gift from Mrs. Mehra in order to purchase expensive earrings. She is a negative reflection of the freedoms given to women at this time.

Kabir, one of Lata’s love interests, is a Muslim student. He has truly captured Lata’s heart, but as a Hindu, realizes it is not likely to be supported.

Quotes:

Quitely they moved down the calm and sacred river that had come down to earth so that its waters might flow over the ashes of those long dead, and that would continue to flow long after the human race had, through hatred and knowledge, burned itself out.

More and more money is required to fight elections, and politicians will be forced to demand more and more money from businessmen. Then, being corrupt themselves, they won’t be able to wipe out corruption in the civil service. They won’t even want to. Sooner or later the appointments of judges, election commissioners, the top civil servants and policemen, will be decided by these same corrupt men, and all our institutions will give way.

I would love to sit down with Mr. Seth and ask how he set about writing this massive novel over such a long time period and ask if he worked on other projects simultaneously.

My rating for A Suitable Boy is an 8 out of 10.

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Next up…Kingsley Amiss’ Lucky Jim…

Source: https://vsudia.wordpress.com/2026/08/14/a-suitable-boy-by-vikram-seth/