30 South Asian Novels to Read Before You Die
An open list
This week’s post is a special intermission—we’re sharing a list of 30 fiction novels by South Asian authors. While we recognize the incredible body of work written in native languages across the region, this list focuses on books that are either written in or translated into English.
This isn’t a definitive canon—it’s a living list, open to your suggestions. The books are ranked in no particular order (because honestly, you should read them all), and we’ve aimed to offer a wide range of voices, themes, and styles worth exploring before you die.
We tried not to repeat authors... but some voices are simply too powerful to feature just once.
Without further ado, here we go.
30 South Asian Novels to Read Before You Die
Honorary Mentions:
Drop your favorites in the comments—we’re listening!
You should caveat your statement with ‘South Asian Novels written in English’. South Asian literature is vast, rich and wonderfully varied. South Asian novels written in English represent a tiny slice of it.
Also 'Brotherless Night' is one of the most powerful books I own! My dad and I both passed it around to compare what we learned about the genocide and civil war from it. Really incredible