A Suitable Boy

Infobox Book |
name = A Suitable Boy


image_caption =
author = Vikram Seth
cover_artist =
country = India
language = English
genre = Novel
publisher = HarperCollins (USA), Phoenix House (UK)
release_date = 1 March 1994
media_type = Print (Hardback and Paperback)
pages = 1349
isbn = ISBN 0-06-017012-3

"A Suitable Boy" is a novel by Vikram Seth, released in 1994. At 1349 pages (1488 pages softcover) and 591,552 words, the book is one of the longest novels ever published in a single volume in the English language. [ [http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth89 Vikram Seth at contemporarywriters.com] ] [ [http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/0599/seth/interview.html Randomhouse interview with Vikram Seth] ] .

Plot introduction

"A Suitable Boy" is set in post-independence, post-partition India. The novel follows the story of four families over a period of 18 months as a mother searches for a suitable boy to marry her daughter.

The 1471-page novel alternatively satirically and earnestly examines issues of national politics in the period leading up to the first post-Independence national election of 1952, inter-sectarian animosity, the status of lower caste peoples such as the jatav, land reform and the eclipse of the feudal princes and landlords, academic affairs, inter- and intra-family relations and a range of further issues of importance to the characters.

A suitable boy centres on Mrs. Rupa Mehra’s efforts to arrange the marriage of her younger daughter, Lata, with a “suitable boy”. At the heart of the novel it is a love story, set in a young, newly independent India. The fictional town, Brahmpur, along with Calcutta, Delhi, Kanpur and other Indian cities, forms a colourful backdrop for the emerging stories.

Lata is a 19 year old college girl, vulnerable, yet determined to have her own way, and not be influenced by her strong mother and opinionated brother, Arun. Her story revolves around the choice she is forced to make between her suitors, Kabir, Haresh, and Amit.

The novel is not simply based on one story. This epic novel covers the various issues faced by post-independence India, including Hindu-Muslim strife, abolition of the Zamindari system, land reforms and empowerment of Muslim women.

The novel is divided into 19 parts, with each part focussing on a different story (and eventually coming back round again). For example part 1 is about Lata's story; part 2 is about a courtesan (the beginning of a major subplot featuring Maan Kapoor); part 3 is about Lata again; part 4 is about Haresh; part 5 is about the Brahmpur political scene etc. Each part is described by a rhyming couplet on the contents page.

Characters in "A Suitable Boy"

The four main families mentioned in the novel are:

*The "Mehras" - Mrs. Rupa Mehra, a mother searching for a suitable boy for her daughter. Arun, Savita, Varun and Lata - Mrs. Mehra's four children.
**Arun is married to Meenakshi Chatterji, Savita to Pran Kapoor.
**Lata is Mrs. Rupa Mehra's youngest child. A large portion of the novel as well as the title describes her mother's determination to marry Lata off to "a suitable boy."

*The "Kapoors" - Mr. Mahesh Kapoor, Mrs. Mahesh Kapoor and their 3 children Veena, Pran and Maan.

*The "Khans" - Nawab Sahib of Baitar and his 3 children Zainab, Imtiaz and Firoz.

*The "Chatterjis" - Mr. Justice Chatterji and Mrs. Chatterji and their children Amit, Meenakshi (married to Arun Mehra), Dipankar, Kakoli and Tapan

Four family trees are provided in the beginning of the novel to help readers keep up with the complicated interwoven family networks.

Some of the characters, not mentioned above, include:

*Nehru
*Haresh Khanna, shoe businessman
*Kabir Durrani, student at Brahmpur University, cricketer
*Hashim Durrani, Kabirs brother
*Dr Durrani, mathematician
*S S Sharma
*Agarwal, home minister
*Priya, his daughter
*Simran, a Sikh girl
*Kalpana Gaur, friend of the Mehra family
*Billy Irani, friend of Arun Mehra
*Shireen, his girlfriend
*Bishwanath Bhaduri
*Kedarnath Tandon, married to Veena (nèe Kapoor)
*Mrs Tandon
*Abdus Salam
*Saeeda Bai
*Raja of Marh
*Rajkumar of Marh
*Dr Bilgrami
*Professor Mishra, an English professor
*Dr Ila Chattopadhay, an English professor
*Hans, an austrian diplomat
*Tasneem, sister of Saeeda Bai
*Bibbo, servant at Saeeda Bai's
*Rasheed, student at Brahmpur University, Tasneems Arabic teacher
*Ishaq, sarangi player
*Begum Abida Khan, politician
*Bhashkar Tandon, son of Veena and Kedarnath
*Arpana, daughter of Meenakshi and Arun
*The Guppi, inhabitant of Salimpur
*Netaji, Rasheeds uncle
*Sahgal
*Makhijani, indulgent poet
*Sandeep Lahiri
*Waris, servant at the Baitar Fort
*Jagat Ram
*Tandon
*The Munshi, in charge of the Baitar Fort
*Uma Kapoor, daughter of Savita and Pran
*Badrinath
*Nowrojee
*Sunil Patwardhan, Mathematician at Brahmpur University
*Parvati
*Malati, best friend of Lata

Awards and nominations

* 1994 - Best book, Commonwealth Writers Prize
* 1994 - WH Smith Literary Award

ee also

* The Golden Gate
* An Equal Music
* Two Lives

References

External links

* [http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?authorID=8890&isbn13=9780060786526&displayType=bookinterview Author interview with Vikram Seth at HarperCollins]

Further reading

* cite book
last=Agarwalla
first = Shyam S.
title=Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy : Search for an Indian Identity
publisher= Prestige
year=1995
id = ISBN 81-85218-97-8