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Quick answer: If you like Chetan Bhagat, read Ravinder Singh's I Too Had a Love Story, Preeti Shenoy's Life Is What You Make It, Anuja Chauhan's The Zoya Factor and Durjoy Datta. All are easy, popular Indian novels about college, love and young ambition.
Chetan Bhagat is one of India's best-selling English-language authors, known for Five Point Someone, One Night at the Call Center, 2 States and Half Girlfriend, which follow young people through campuses, careers and relationships in simple, fast prose. The books below offer similar light, relatable reading about young India.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Too Had a Love Story | Ravinder Singh | Adult | emotional romance |
| Life Is What You Make It | Preeti Shenoy | Adult | resilience |
| The Zoya Factor | Anuja Chauhan | Adult | cricket romance |
| Of Course I Love You | Durjoy Datta | Adult | modern romance |
| The White Tiger | Aravind Adiga | Adult | satire of India |
| A Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth | Adult | big family saga |
| Swami and Friends | R. K. Narayan | All ages | schoolboy classic |
| The Guide | R. K. Narayan | Adult | redemption story |
| Wise and Otherwise | Sudha Murthy | Adult | true stories |
| Interpreter of Maladies | Jhumpa Lahiri | Adult | quiet short stories |
| The Inheritance of Loss | Kiran Desai | Adult | global stories |
| The Palace of Illusions | Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | Adult | epic retelling |
| Train to Pakistan | Khushwant Singh | Adult | Partition novel |
| The Room on the Roof | Ruskin Bond | Teen | coming of age |
| Q & A | Vikas Swarup | Adult | rags to riches |
1. I Too Had a Love Story by Ravinder Singh
A young man tells the story of his love and loss. Simple and popular.
Best for: emotional romance.
2. Life Is What You Make It by Preeti Shenoy
A young woman recovers from a breakdown and finds her way. Honest and uplifting.
Best for: resilience.
3. The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan
A marketing girl becomes a lucky charm for the Indian cricket team. Funny and charming.
Best for: cricket romance.
4. Of Course I Love You by Durjoy Datta
A young couple faces choices about love and career. Quick and light.
Best for: modern romance.
5. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
A driver tells his story of rising from poverty. Dark and funny.
Best for: satire of India.
6. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
A mother searches for a husband for her daughter in post-independence India. Very long and rewarding.
Best for: big family saga.
7. Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan
A boy in Malgudi gets into trouble with friends. Gentle and funny.
Best for: schoolboy classic.
8. The Guide by R. K. Narayan
A tour guide turns into an unlikely holy man. Gentle and ironic.
Best for: redemption story.
9. Wise and Otherwise by Sudha Murthy
True stories from her travels and charity work across India. Short and moving.
Best for: true stories.
10. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Stories of Indian and Indian American lives. Pulitzer winner.
Best for: quiet short stories.
11. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
A retired judge, his granddaughter and the cook live in the Himalayas. Won the Booker Prize.
Best for: global stories.
12. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Draupadi tells her life from her own point of view. Rich and absorbing.
Best for: epic retelling.
13. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
A village on the border faces violence in 1947. Short and powerful.
Best for: Partition novel.
14. The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond
A teenage boy finds friends and freedom in Dehradun. Written by Bond at seventeen.
Best for: coming of age.
15. Q & A by Vikas Swarup
A waiter wins a TV quiz and is accused of cheating. Fast and popular, the basis of Slumdog Millionaire.
Best for: rags to riches.
How to Choose
For more light Indian reads choose Ravinder Singh, Preeti Shenoy or Durjoy Datta. For witty romance pick The Zoya Factor. For satire read The White Tiger. For classic short stories try R. K. Narayan or Ruskin Bond. For deeper novels read A Suitable Boy and The Inheritance of Loss. Bhagat is easy and fast, so these picks suit readers who like a quick, relatable story. Several of Bhagat's novels have been made into Bollywood films, including 3 Idiots, Kai Po Che and 2 States, so fans often enjoy reading the books and comparing them. His simple English made him a gateway author for many first-time readers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Chetan Bhagat?
An Indian author of best-selling English-language novels about young people.
Where should I start?
With Five Point Someone.
Which of his books became films?
Five Point Someone (as 3 Idiots), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (as Kai Po Che), 2 States and Half Girlfriend.
Is his writing simple?
Yes, deliberately so, which makes it accessible.
What are his main themes?
Education, love, ambition and social change.
Is he also a columnist?
Yes, he writes newspaper columns.
Are his books suitable for teens?
Mostly, though some contain romance and mature themes.
What should I read next?
Try 2 States or The Zoya Factor.
Which book here is best for modern romance?
Try Of Course I Love You by Durjoy Datta, which suits readers looking for modern romance.
Which book here is best for schoolboy classic?
Try Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan, which suits readers looking for schoolboy classic.
Which book here is best for quiet short stories?
Try Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, which suits readers looking for quiet short stories.