I read A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth ten years ago; I liked it so much that I’m reading it again. So far, it doesn’t disappoint.

It’s a doorstop of a book at over 1,500 pages, but it’s flow is poetically smooth, and the scenes live within short chapters which make it a quick read.

Every person I’ve recommended it to has enjoyed it immensely, coming back with “what an amazing story,” or “it’s my new favorite book.” I even dream about it occasionally. And the last time I finished it, I wanted to know what happened to the characters after the last page; I wanted to know how they grew old.

Quotes

“People are stuck at seventeen, you know,” continued Mr Kohli. “That’s where they imagine themselves ever afterwards — always seventeen, and always happy. Not that they’re happy when they’re actually seventeen…”

“Many years ago you told me that until you were forty you were very concerned about what people thought of you. Then you decided to be concerned about what you thought of other people instead.”