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Quick answer: If you loved The Henna Artist, try The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, The Perfumist of Paris, The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, A Fine Balance and The God of Small Things. Each one offers a vivid setting, a determined woman or a complicated family secret.
Alka Joshi's debut is set in 1950s Jaipur, where Lakshmi has escaped an abusive marriage and built a career painting henna for wealthy women. She dreams of owning a house, until the husband she left turns up with a thirteen-year-old sister she never knew she had. Readers love its colors, its Indian setting and its strong heroine. These books share its rich detail and its stories of independent women.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Secret Keeper of Jaipur | Alka Joshi | Jaipur | readers who want the sequel |
| The Perfumist of Paris | Alka Joshi | Paris | readers who want to finish the trilogy |
| The Namesake | Jhumpa Lahiri | America | readers who like family identity |
| Interpreter of Maladies | Jhumpa Lahiri | India and America | readers who like short stories |
| A Fine Balance | Rohinton Mistry | Bombay | readers who want a big, moving saga |
| The God of Small Things | Arundhati Roy | Kerala | readers who love gorgeous prose |
| The Space Between Us | Thrity Umrigar | Bombay | readers who love bonds across class |
| The Secret Daughter | Shilpi Somaya Gowda | Mumbai and California | readers who like family secrets |
| The Mistress of Spices | Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | California | readers who like some magic |
| A Burning | Megha Majumdar | Kolkata | readers who want a modern thriller |
| The Hundred-Foot Journey | Richard C. Morais | India and France | readers who love food stories |
| Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden | Kyoto | readers who like hidden women's worlds |
| The Joy Luck Club | Amy Tan | San Francisco and China | readers who love mothers and daughters |
| Like Water for Chocolate | Laura Esquivel | Mexico | readers who like food and magic |
| Snow Flower and the Secret Fan | Lisa See | China | readers who love friendship between women |
1. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
Lakshmi's protégé Malik faces a scandal after a new cinema collapses.
Best for: readers who want the sequel.
2. The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi
Lakshmi's sister Radha builds a new life among perfumers in Paris.
Best for: readers who want to finish the trilogy.
3. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Bengali American son wrestles with his unusual name.
Best for: readers who like family identity.
4. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Pulitzer-winning stories explore Indian lives at home and abroad.
Best for: readers who like short stories.
5. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Four strangers share a small apartment during India's Emergency.
Best for: readers who want a big, moving saga.
6. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Twins in Kerala live with the fallout of a forbidden love.
Best for: readers who love gorgeous prose.
7. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
A wealthy widow and her servant share a long, complicated friendship.
Best for: readers who love bonds across class.
8. The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
A daughter adopted from India seeks her birth family.
Best for: readers who like family secrets.
9. The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
A woman with magical spice skills runs a shop in Oakland.
Best for: readers who like some magic.
10. A Burning by Megha Majumdar
A young woman is falsely accused of terrorism after a train attack.
Best for: readers who want a modern thriller.
11. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
An Indian family opens a restaurant in a French village.
Best for: readers who love food stories.
12. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
A young Japanese girl is trained as a geisha.
Best for: readers who like hidden women's worlds.
13. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Chinese American mothers and daughters share their stories.
Best for: readers who love mothers and daughters.
14. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
A young woman's cooking carries her forbidden love.
Best for: readers who like food and magic.
15. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Two women in 19th-century China share a secret written language.
Best for: readers who love friendship between women.
How to Choose
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris finish the Jaipur trilogy, so read them first if you love Lakshmi and Radha. If it was India itself that you loved, A Fine Balance and The God of Small Things are the great novels to read next, while The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies are gentler. The Space Between Us also looks closely at class and at women who work in other people's homes. If you liked the women's craft and hidden world, Memoirs of a Geisha and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan offer a similar glimpse of secret female spaces. For sensory detail, Like Water for Chocolate is a short, satisfying choice.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Henna Artist about?
A woman who fled an abusive marriage builds a career in 1950s Jaipur until her long-lost husband and a younger sister arrive.
Is The Henna Artist a series?
Yes. It is the first in the Jaipur trilogy, followed by The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris.
Is The Henna Artist based on a true story?
It is fiction, though Joshi has said that it was inspired by her mother's life.
Was The Henna Artist a book club pick?
Yes. It was a Reese's Book Club pick in 2020.
Is there a TV adaptation?
A television adaptation has been in development, so check for the latest news.