Kiran Desai is set to break her two-decade publishing hiatus with a new novel, “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” scheduled for release in September by Hogarth, per seattletimes.com. The book marks Desai’s first work of fiction since her Booker Prize-winning masterpiece The Inheritance of Loss in 2006.
Desai, who made history as the youngest female Booker Prize recipient at age 35, describes her new work as an examination of Eastern and Western perspectives.
The novel follows two Indian characters navigating life in the United States, grappling with personal dilemmas and the weight of historical forces.
In a statement, Desai described her latest book as “a sweeping tale” that delves into the complexities of solitude and love across Western and Eastern cultures.
“I think only a novel can get at the raw truth regarding what people are privately thinking and negotiating,” Desai remarked, hinting at the introspective depth readers can expect.
Desai’s literary journey began with her debut, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998), a comic story of a man living in a tree. However, it was her sophomore effort, The Inheritance of Loss (2006) that catapulted her to international acclaim. The novel earned both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, cementing her place in literary history.
Her editor, David Ebershoff, praised the forthcoming book, calling it “an expansive tale of multiple generations, infused with equal amounts of heart and mind.” At 53, Desai remains a trailblasing voice in literature, blending wit, emotion and cultural nuance.
- Featured image: Kiran Desai speaks outside the New York Public Library on Aug. 19, 2022/AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
