24 path-breaking books in the last two decades

It is difficult to choose the top 24 path-breaking books in the last two decades. There is just too much out there in book-osphere, too many genres, too many languages and too many books that are probably brilliant but haven't been read yet.  I have stuck to books I have read rave reviews about and also personally read.   

1. The Great Indian Novel (1989) 

Shashi Tharoor

This satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor uses the Mahabharata in the context of the Indian Independence Movement and post Independence-era.The title of the book is a pun, borrowed from The Great American Novel and the literal meaning of the Mahabharata. Ganapathi is a South Indian, CR Bhishma is correlated to Mahatma Gandhi, Dhritarashtra is India’s first PM Nehru, he fathers a single daughter Priya Duryodhani - an obvious reference to Indira Gandhi, Draupadi represents the Indian democracy that collapses under Duryodhanis ‘siege’(Indira Gandhi’s State of Emergency). Tharoor’s book has been hailed as one of the best, if not the best, reworkings of a classic. Tharoor not only explores India’s greatness but also takes a not-too-subtle digs at the many characters, ordinarily revered by Indians, and treats them with irreverence. 

2. A Suitable Boy (1993) 

Vikram Seth

Seth's magnum opus provides a look at Indian life post Independence, the 1950's at a time when people were still defining nation-hood. The book is very Indian, taking pains not to explain the meaning of the many Hindi words scattered through it. It is at the core a love story – an Indian family trying to find a suitable match for their daughter. It features four, large extended families and their lives. Yet, Seth manages to pack an extraordinary amount of historical perspective and cultural detail into the book. The size of the book did put off many readers and while most Indians were critical of his writing, the book did extremely well abroad.   

3. Raavan and Eddie (1994)

Kiran Nagarkar 

The Guardian chose it as one of the ten best novels about Mumbai. This comic master-piece follows the lives of two larger-than-life characters and their adventures. Ravan is a Hindu, and Eddie is a Roman Catholic – they grow up on different floors of a crowded chawl. The book is filled with the children's adventures, imaginative characters and the difference between Hindu and Christian life.  Nagarkar brings to startling life the daily intricacies involved in living in a chawl in Mumbai making this one of the better books written on the city. 

4. Bridget Jones Diary (1996-2013)

When the first book came out, the diary of a 30-something, bumbling, vapid, self-obsessed and self deprecating woman detailing her anxiety of an urban, singleton found a lot of fans. Many identified with Helen Fielding's heroine and her struggle to live a 'normal' life. The first two books were turned into successful movies starring the dishy Colin Firth and dishier Hugh Grant. Fielding's satire is tongue-in-cheek. Her heroine details her weight loss (low), her desire for sexual encounters (many), her social blunders (too many) and her daily life. In her latest (and last) outing, Bridget is a widowed mother struggling to make sense of bringing up two kids, the change in dating rules and worse, technology.  

5. Harry Potter series (1997-2007)

JK Rowling burst on to the literary scene with the fantasy story of a superhero with magical powers. The books were centred around the boy wizard, Harry Potter, also referred to as The Chosen One and The Boy Who Lived. Rowling's books single-handedly changed children's fiction, introducing a generation of children, and some fascinated adults, to a magical world where good fought evil, where people did not shy away from death and which celebrated people's differences. Rowling tapped into the eternal children’s book fantasy of the weird outside kid who cannot fit in. The series defined Rowling's career as a writer propelling her to the top of bestselling lists and spawning off an entire franchise revolving around the books (Pottermania). Each book was turned into a movie, creating instant celebrities of the cast. 

6. The God of Small Things (1997) 

Arundhati Roy 

The debut novel of this Indian writer and activist took her four years to write and landed her the Man Booker prize in 1997. The ambitious novel captures the decline and fall of an Indian family and is part political fable and part psychological drama that follows no structure. The story is set in a caste society and touches upon different kinds of discrimination- religious, political, economic and racial. The book received its fair share of criticism for its theme of forbidden love, one that is so powerful and uncontrollable that it cannot be contained by any social code.  Roy's portrayal of children as free thinking and with their own perspective, giving them possibly the strongest characters. It remains one of the most celebrated Indian novels in the international literary world.  

7. Fasting, feasting (1999)

Anita Desai

This Man Booker shortlisted book is a novel of contrast between two cultures - the pious, 'fasting' Indian culture and the opulence and thus ‘feasting' American.  It tells the story of one Indian family, represented through the daughter Uma and the son Arun who is studying in America. It talks about human relationships from the point of view of food and their bodies – it talks about hunger, appetites, greed, disgust, bulimia and other relations to food. In depth it looks at how society can control the way people (especially women) behave particularly when it comes to doing something as primal as eating. Her novel throws up the important question: how does one define plenty? The book and it Booker nomination cemented Desai's name as a writer of significance from the subcontinent. 

8. Interpreter Of Maladies

Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri’s first book won her the Pulitzer Prize in 2000, making her the first person of South Asian descent to win an individual Pulitzer Prize. Her collections of ten stories is set in India and in the United States but most feature characters of Indian heritage. Lahiri's characters and stories are on emotional voyages seeking love beyond the barriers of country, culture, religion, and age. The book was praised for its literary flourish and rich detailing and Lahiri's ability to write about ordinary experiences that can find a connection with any person.  

9. Life Of Pi (2002)

Yann Martel

In short, the book is the story an Indian zookeeper's son, who survives a shipwreck with a tiger. In detail, this is a gory book that describes the sexual behaviour of zoo animals, has a mix of danger and survival and includes murder and cannibalism. Piscine Molitor or Pi Patel is named after a French swimming pool and nicknamed for an irrational number. He survived 227 days lost at sea with a Royal Bengal tiger. The book is one of the most analysed and discussed in recent times, more so after the release of the movie adaptation. It lays heavy emphasis on interpretation and makes the reader question what they believe and what they have read. Pi's simultaneous practising of three different religions, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, with equal devotion raises questions about faith. 

10. Kafka on the Shore (2002)

Haruki Murakami

This novel by Japanese author Murakami has alternate chapters that relate the stories of two different heroes. The odd-numbered chapters are a first-person narrative of a fifteen-year-old runaway Kafka from his home in Tokyo. The even-numbered chapters trace the life of a mentally defective sexagenarian, Satoru Nakata.  The duo are on a collision course and their convergence takes place as much on a metaphysical plane as it does in reality. The book demonstrates Murakami's typical blend of pop culture, mundane details, magical realism, humour and sexuality. 

11. Coraline (2002)

Neil Gaiman

This horror-fantasy novella is by no means the British novelist's best work but it gained immense popularity owing in part to its film adaptation.  Coraline is a young girl who lives alone with her parents in a flat in an old house and takes care of herself. One day, she discovers a strange and evil world where someone wants to steal her soul, an adventure that she must face on her own. The line between pleasant and horrible is blurred and Gaiman's rich imagination and clear prose accompanied by haunting illustrations make this a beautiful read.   

12. Persepolis (2003)

Marjane Satrapi

The book, Marjane Satrapi's 'love story for her country', tells the story of her childhood in Iran from the ages of six to fourteen. During this time, the Shah's regime was overthrown, the Islamic Revolution triumphed and the country was still struggling with the effects of going to war with Iraq. The graphic novel has stark monochrome drawings and features the many small revolutions in the country. Satrapi is outspoken about the suffering of her fellow Iranians but also funny and extremely moving. She paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran. 

13. A Short History Of Nearly Everything (2003)

Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is quite the amazing travel writer but in his biggest book, he tackles science - answering the oldest, biggest questions about the universe and human life. From the Big Bang to the rise of civilisation, Bryson seeks answers by getting inputs from archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians. The book is quirky, profound and ever entertaining. He turns boring history concepts into fascinating insights into the past.  He gives the basic facts about of physics, chemistry, biology, botany, climatology, geology in accurate and detailed prose. Only Bill Bryson can make science fun. 

14. The Kite Runner (2003)

Khaled Hosseini

Another one of those books converted into a film, Hosseini's The Kite Runner was his debut novel and provided the western world an unsparing glimpse into life in Afghanistan. Many consider this is best work. Hosseini was the first Afghan novelist to fictionalise his culture and talk about the personal struggles and the devastation of his home country. Amir is a member of the dominant Pashtun tribe in affluent Kabul, Hassan is his devoted servant and a member of the oppressed Hazara tribe. The book is based on their friendship between the two children and the sacrifice the richer boy makes of his friend.    

15. The Da Vinci Code (2003)

Dan Brown

This book is possible Dan brown's most famous work, owing to the controversy surrounding its release. The book follows symbologist Robert Langdon as he investigates a murder at the Louvre museum. The book descends into a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over whether Jesus actually married Mary Magdalene. The book got a lot of flak from the catholic church over its portrayal of the Holy Grail, Mary Magdalene and her role in Catholic history. Besides, despite Brown's claims of detailed research, many people have pointed out inaccuracies in his depictions of European history, Renaissance art and geography. Yet, this didn't stop the book from becoming an international phenomenon and major publishing success.  

16. Shantaram (2003)

Gregory David Roberts

The novel is based on the author's life – his sentencing to 19 years in jail in Australia and his subsequent escape turning him into a wanted man.  Shantaram is narrated by Lindsay (Lin) who flees a maximum security prison in Australia for Bombay. He lands up running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums and dabbling in the city's mafia. The book provides an interesting insight into the 'unsavoury' underbelly of the city. Although some of the adventures in the city seem just that bit far-fetched, the book was an eye-opener for foreigners and warranted reading for the strength of his language. 

17. Maximum City (2004)

Suketu Mehta

This narrative non-fiction combines a memoir, travel writing as well a socio-political analysis of the history and people of Mumbai. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. In Maximum City, journalist and fiction writer Suketu Mehta, newly returned from New York writes about his search for an understanding of the place he grew up in. Maximum City is narrative reporting at its finest and one of the best non-fiction books to capture the myriad contradictions of the city. 

18. The Book Thief (2005)

Markus Zusak

The Book Thief is the story of ten-year-old Liesel Meminger, a young German girl growing up in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The novel is narrated by Death. Liesel's passion for books, which she steals, sustain her through the destruction around her. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbours during bomb raids. Despite its theme and the topic, the book doesn't end up being morbid but instead has flashes of humour and wisdom. A literary classic, its movie adaptation will be released in a few months.     e Jewish man hidden in her b

19. The Hungry Tide (2005)

Amitav Ghosh

The book tells the story of the harsh realities of life of the Sundarbans islanders. It explores the plight of displaced peoples (refugees from Bangladesh) and how humans share a complex and dangerous ecosystem with animals (here, dolphins and tigers). The ‘hunger’ has several meanings - the hunger of people as well as that of nature. 

20. Twilight series (2005-2008)

Stephanie Meyer

These four-series fantasy romance novels introduced a whole generation of teenagers to the wonders of vampire fiction, spawning a whole publishing trend that focussed on the blood-drinking creatures. The young-adult novel is about the love story between a vampire and a human. She loves him, he thirsts for her blood. Following the success of Twilight, Meyer wrote three more books – New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. The criticism has been never-ending – the strong sexuality in the writing, the average writing and the romanticising of a physically abusive relationship. Despite this, Meyers has a solid fan base owing in part to her active presence online. All the books have been turned into extremely successful movies. 

21. A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008)

Mohammed Hanif

One of the finest writers to come out of Pakistan, Hanif’s first novel is assassination fiction and centres on the death of Gen. Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, president of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988. A political thriller written in deeply satirical style, he explores the country's obsession with history and historical figures. The book is set in the months before and after the crash and adds to the conspiracy theories surrounding the death. This fast-paced political thriller makes fun of everything from Pakistan's military, their religion, the US backed dictator, Zia-ul-Haq and various members of the ISI and the CIA. 

22. Nine Lives (2009)

William Dalrymple

Nine Lives is a series of biographies which focus on India's rich religious heritage but in essence is a travel book. Dalrymple interviews nine different people - four of them women - and talks about their religious practices against a social and historical context. There's a dancer worshipped as a part-time god, a Tibetan monk who enrolls in the Indian Army, a blind Baul singer, a tantric worshipper, a female mystic who inhabits a cremation ground drinking from skulls, a sculptor of Hindu idols who believes he is creating live deities. His book provides a deeper glimpse into the lives of an India that's heard of but not seen too much. 

 23. India (2011)

Patrick French

This non-fiction book is probably one of the most ambitious books to be written about India in the recent years. It has detailed character sketches of individuals to tell the story of how India became one of the world's fastest-growing economies. His descriptions of economic excess are balanced by the lives of those who have not benefited from the economic boom. The book is based on a number of articles and French's detailed and often humorous take on the different things that make up India are worth reading. It is divided into three parts: Rashtra dealing with the evolution of national politics, Lakshmi on economics and Samaj on society and religion.  

24. 50 Shades of Grey (2011)

EL James

When the first book of this trilogy was introduced, it became a publishing phenomenon. The book traces the relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. It was developed from Twilight fan fiction. It is most notable however for being 'mommy porn' since its primary audience consisted of mothers over 30. It also features explicitly erotic scenes featuring sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM). The novel has received severe criticism from people questioning its poor literary work and its portrayal of submissive women and dominant relationships. The criticism apart, the novels became the fastest selling paperback in history, beating JK Rowling's Harry Potter novels.