11 Books Featuring South Asian Characters to Read in 2021
When I first began chronicling representations of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora in books for young readers — almost twenty years ago — I could count the number of annual new releases featuring South Asian characters on one hand.
Two decades later, the diaspora has accrued cultural capital in North America and beyond, and publishing has become more attuned to issues of inequality in representation. This year brings dozens — not many, but far more than I’ve ever seen in all my years of observing these trends — of new titles with South Asian characters to shelves, 11 of which are highlighted here.
The books on this list showcase the diversity of the South Asian experience, from Pakistani American (The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim) to Bangladeshi Irish (Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar) to Sri Lankan Canadian (Bruised by Tanya Boteju). The stories are told in fantasy (Sisters of the Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua) and graphic novel (Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani) and poetry (If I Tell You The Truth by Jasmin Kaur).
Ready for a good read? Check out the books below.
The Knockout by Sajni Patel (January)
Patel’s debut, set in the high-stakes world of competitive martial arts, tells the story of 17-year-old Kareena Thakkar, a highly-skilled Muay Thai practitioner who has to balance her commitment to her sport and the expectations for girls in her traditional Indian community. In this action-packed novel, Kareena punches at societal disapproval and her own insecurities while striving to make history — the possibility of participating in the first Olympic Muay Thai team.
If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur (January)
Kaur combines poetry, prose, and illustrations in this experimental novel about immigration, sexual trauma, and the relationships between mothers and daughters. If I Tell You The Truth is told in two voices, 18 years apart: Kiran, who has fled India for Canada after being assaulted by her fiancé’s brother, and Sahaara, the product of that assault, who seeks to right her mother’s injustices. Kaur's lyrical language addresses feminism, social justice, survival, and love.
American Betiya by Anuradha Rajurker (March)
The very real challenges of a cross-cultural, interracial first love are at the heart of Rajurker’s debut. When high school senior Rani Kelkar, aspiring visual artist, falls for Oliver, she lies to her doting, conservative parents and begins dating him in secret. Oliver isn’t a great boyfriend; as the toxic relationship begins to unravel, Rani desperately tries to fit into Oliver’s dysfunctional family, and Oliver displays racist attitudes and behaviours. Though some amount of heartbreak is on the horizon, Rani finds her balance among culture, expectation, identity, and expression.
Bruised by Tanya Boteju (March)
Orphan Daya Wijesinghe, 18, avoids confronting the emotional pain of losing her parents in a car accident that she survived by inflicting physical pain on herself: she copes by reveling in her skateboarding bruises. When Daya is introduced to roller derby — a sport in which opportunities to bruise are countless — she finally discovers a place of deep healing. Boteju’s novel, her second, is colorful and brutal, and a celebration of love and self-acceptance.
Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan (April)
Seventeen-year-old Pakistani immigrant Zara Hossain and her family have been waiting for their green cards for nine years, and Zara has tried not to rock the boat, even as she faces overt Islamophobia at school. But when her house is vandalized with racist graffiti by her tormentor and his gang, she takes justice into her own hands with a move that places her family’s entire future at risk. Khan’s examination of the legal difficulties many immigrants face on their road to citizenship, and the precariousness of the immigrant experience more generally, fortify this timely novel.
Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (May)
Popular Hani Kahn comes out as bisexual to her friends, but they don’t believe she is — because she has only dated girls. So Hani lies, and says she’s in a relationship with nerdy Ishita Dey. The pair, who use each other for benefit at first, slowly fall for each other and face mutual adversaries. This queer, Bengali romcom playfully bends enduring genre tropes: enemies to lovers, fake dating, and slow burn.
The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim (May)
The Mirza girls — recent high-school graduate Noreen and her mother Ruby — travel to Delhi, India in the hopes that the gap-year trip will alleviate the sorrow of the loss of Ruby’s sister and pull Noreen out of her post-senior year malaise. Part family drama, part romcom — Noreen meets Kabir, with whom she has a whirlwind romance — part love letter to Delhi, Karim’s novel explores grief and identity, love and confidence.
Sister of the Bollywood Bride by Nandini Bajpai (May)
Indian weddings are often over-the-top, multi-day affairs and Padmini “Mini” Kapoor wants to give her sister Vinnie a bash to remember, especially after the loss of their mother. With Bollywood on her mind, but hindered by a limited budget and an uninterested father, Mini pulls together her mother’s dream wedding in this joyful and predictably satisfying book, even when a romance distracts her and a super-storm threatens the event.
Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani (June)
Chanani’s second full-length graphic novel delivers another magical-realist story about loss, love, and choice. With the help of a time-travelling jukebox, Shaheen and her cousin Tannaz undertake a time-bending, reality-bending quest to search for Shaheen’s missing, music-obsessed father. The book is also an illustrated deep dive into American musical history, and Chanani explores how music informs history, lived experience, and memory; Jukebox includes a playlist to complement the book’s album cover references.
Rising Like a Storm by Tanaz Bhathena (June)
In this conclusion to Bhathena’s “Wrath of Ambar,” a duology set in a fantasy world inspired by medieval India, Gul and Cavas together face an authoritarian monarch — Queen Shayla — who wants them both dead, but does not realize that their combined magic will be her demise. Lush and well-researched, Bhathena brings her series to a satisfying close as Gul and Cavas resist tyranny as they work to build a more just world.
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Sisters of the Snake by Sasha and Sarena Nanua (June)
Sisters of the Snake is the first installment in a twin-swap series — written by identical twins. When Rani, a princess, and Ria, a homeless girl, literally collide, they discover they are identical twins and plot to switch identities to prevent an upcoming war. The duo navigate deadly prophecies and dark magic and complicated romantic entanglements in this fast-paced and very funny fantasy.
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