10 English Language Novels on South Asian Christians Worth Reading
South Asia’s 50 million Christians have many stories to tell owing to our long history and diverse backgrounds. The following list is a selection of 10 English language novels that either feature South Asian Christian characters or, in one case, are notable to the development of South Asian Christian literature.
Most of the authors are of a Christian background or have shown to have a strong understanding of the Christian experience. I tried to create a selection of books that focus on characters and settings from all across South Asia in order to reflect the heterogeneity of the South Asian Christian community. I’d also like to remind readers that there is a immense amount of South Asian Christian literature in several native languages as well (Malayalam, Tamil, Konkani, Hindi, Mizo etc.) but this list only focusses on books in English or with an accessible English translation.
- The History of Prathaba Mudaliar by Mayuram Vedanayagam Pillai
Originally written in Tamil, English translations of this book go by several names. This book is notable for being the first published novel in the Tamil language. Prior to this, Tamil fiction was nearly universally written as poetry. It’s author, Mayavaram Vendanyagam Pillai (1826–1889) was an Indian civil servant and writer who recognized the emerging market for novels in Indian languages. Written in 1857 and not published until 1879 it went on to become a major best seller whose success inspired the first wave of Tamil fiction for mass consumption.
The novel is a first person narrative of a series of incidents that happen to the protagonist, Prathapa Mudhaliar, a naïve but kind man from a well off background. Like most of Pillai’s novels, this book emphasized the importance of education and featured strong female characters which represented to Pillai’s reformist and feminist beliefs.
2. Yellow Lights of Death by Benyamin
Originally published in Malayalam by the famed writer Benyamin, ‘Yellow Lights of Death’ follows the adventure of two friends named Christy and Jesintha who witness the murder of a young man. As they try to investigate they discover a series of cover ups and conspiracies that eventually delve into the very heart of India’s Christian heritage and history.
The author Benyamin began receiving international attention after the translation of several of his novels which revolve around the experiences of South Asians living in the the Gulf Arab nations. The two most notable being Goat Days on an Indian-Muslim man attempting to flee his abusive and racist working conditions and Jasmine Days on a Pakistani migrant radio DJ attempting to navigate the Arab Spring style revolution taking place in the country she works in.
3. A Respectable Woman by Easterine Kire
The Naga people of India’s Northeastern state of Nagaland have experienced one of the most tumultuous histories in South Asia. After living in relative isolation from the rest of the world the 20th century saw first contact with the British, World War II, the adoption of Christianity, cultural and political integration into India, and the fracture of their homeland between India and Myanmar.
Easterine Kire’s 2019 novel ‘A Respectable Woman’ follows the life a Naga woman as she navigates a society that is in a state of constant flux and transition and how the fallout from these issues, like the rise of alcoholism, have impacted Naga woman. It’s an important novel that sheds light on one of the most ignored communities in India. The author has written several novels in English on the experiences of the Naga people throughout history.
4. Bombay Balchao by Jane Borges
Bombay, now Mumbai, may be the most ethnically diverse and cosmopolitan cities in South Asia. Among the many communities that inhabit the city are nearly 100,000 Konkani speaking Roman Catholics from Goa and Mangalore who first migrated to the city in the 19th century. Jane Borges’s novel ‘Bomba Balchao’ follows the lives of Goans, Mangaloreans, and the local ‘East Indian Catholics’ who inhabit the tiny Catholic neighborhood of Cavel.
It’s written by Jane Borges, a Mumbai journalist, notable for coauthoring the the award winning true crime book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai’ on the lives of several notable female underworld figures in 20th century Mumbai.
5. The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond
This 1989 novel by the famed writer Ruskin Bond is a coming-of-age story about an alienated Anglo-Indian orphan boy living in a European enclave in Uttarakhand state. Named Rusty, he spends the majority of his childhood segregated from the rest of society by his British guardians before eventually developing a friendship with two local Indian boys named Somi and Ranbir.
The novel focusses on the experiences of Anglo-Indians, the descendants of colonial British men and their Indian wives, and was widely acclaimed both in India and the West. It’s author Ruskin Bond is widely recognized as one of the best Indian-English language writers of the post-independence era.
6. Em and the big Hoom by Jerry Pinto
‘Em and he Big Hoom’ follows the experiences of a Goan Roman Catholic family in Mumbai struggling with the impact of mental illness on their family. Inspired by the author’s own childhood struggles with his mother’s Bipolar Disorder, it’s first draft was three times the length of War and Peace!
Don’t worry it’s been cut down to a far more manageable 240 words. The novel was well received internationally and is notable for its sensitive portrayal of mental illness in India, a topic that is often shunned and hidden due to stigma and a lack of awareness.
7. The Vanishing Generations by T.V. Varkey
Originally written in Malayalam and widely regarded as an ‘epic’ of modern Malayalam literature the novel follows the life of a Nasrani (Syro-Christian) family in Kerala throughout the 19th and 20th century who live under a supposed curse that any man who marries into their family as a son-in-law will die early on in life.
Similar to number 3 on this list it focusses on the social transformation of Kerala throughout the 19th and 20th century as traditional hierarchies and structures coming crashing down (or not) and Westernization and modernization take root. It’s interesting to see how these trends impact a family belonging to India’s oldest Christian community, one whose prehistory dates most of European Christianity.
8. The Illicit Happiness of Other People by Manu Joseph
‘The Illicit Happiness of Other People’ follows the life of a dysfunctional Christian family living in the Tamil speaking South Indian city of Chennai after mysterious death of their eldest son who falls from a third story window in a way that makes it unclear if it was a suicide or accident. Years after his death the arrival of a package sends the family on a quest to discover the truth of what exactly transpired on the day of their son’s death.
Written by Manu Joseph and published in 2013 the author is also famous for his novel ‘Serious Men’ which was turned into a Netflix movie. It focusses on a lower middle class Dalit’s man attempt to secure a better academic future for his young son through the most extreme means imaginable.
9. Teresa’s Man and other stories from Goa by Damodar Mauzo
Damodar Mauzo is one of the most recognized Konkani language writers of the 20th century. This book is an English translation of his most popular stories. Though a Hindu, Mauzo’s career as a shopkeeper in a mostly Catholic town in Goa has given him extensive insights into rural Goa’s Catholic society. This is reflected in his writing which has been translated into more than a dozen Indian languages.
These short stories capture all aspects of Catholic Goa from young love to the economic exploitation of small scale farmers and was published in 2014.
10. Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif
‘Our Lady of Alice Bhatti’ is the only novel on this list that does not revolve around Indian Christians. Set in Pakistan, it follows the life of Alice Bhatti, a Catholic nurse working in a hospital in the often chaotic city of Karachi. She struggles to deal with misogynistic and anti-Christian discrimination on a regular basis. Her eventual marriage to a police operative named Teddy Bunt puts her at odds with her conservative Catholic community.
The novel explores the daily struggle of Pakistani Christians who are increasingly seen as unclean and inferior. Alice’s own experiences contrast strongly with the experiences of her colleague Hina Alvi who hides her Christian identity to pass for a Muslim and experiences a great deal of career success because of it. Despite the pessimism of the novel it’s not a heavy book, and utilizes dark humor to a strong extent.
