The best Indian adventure books with a multicultural cast

I especially loved how the romantic elements were woven into this incredible mystery adventure. The characters were larger than life, and the goals they set out to achieve were equally audacious. This to me was a great adventure, great mystery, and truly a great thriller. How to conquer a nation, how to indulge the fantasies and make them reality, and in the process give form to two broken lives.

Both the lyrical story-poem itself and the film adaptation had an immense impact on my early writing. It was not the story itself that so enthralled and challenged me. Rather, I wanted to reach for these great heights. I personally feel too much of today's writing is limited by small visions.

I love a Sherlock and Watson kind of relationship, and this one fit the early days of the British Raj perfectly. Two Brits in the employ of the East India Trading company who could not be more different. Avery is very much part of the system and eager to please. His mysterious guide, Jeremiah Blake, is critical of the Company and gets on far better with the wide cast of locals. I soaked up the historical setting, and the growing intrigue tided me over to the last third, which delivers everything you’d want in a historical thriller.

This one haunted me with its matter-of-fact portrayal of the highs and lows of life in modern India. Dark humor makes the heavy themes go down smoothly. I was fascinated by the harsh reality of life for a low-caste Indian who wants to please masters who end up throwing him under the bus, almost literally. I liked the complicated relationship between master and servant, especially with Western influences in the mix. Adiga juxtaposes past and present, East and West, idealism and necessity. I enjoyed the feeling of wanting and not wanting the protagonist to succeed. Disturbing and heart-wrenching!

I met Gregory David Roberts when we were both reading at a literary festival in Mumbai, or Bombay, where much of this epic novel is set. I loved getting to know the main character (based on Roberts), Australia’s “most wanted man,” as he finds his new place in the world, in India. Vivid descriptions breathe life into characters and settings. They make the hero come alive, too, and help him reinvent himself – several times. This reflects the diversity of life in India. Epic in every sense.

Identity and honour are at the heart of this epic historical adventure. Being half Indian and half British myself, I identified with the main character, Ash. I love how he doesn’t even know of his British heritage until later in life, and how his upbringing among Indians causes him grief when he tries to fit in with “his own kind,” both in England, and on his return to India. I enjoyed Ash’s awkwardness, rashness, and creativity serving as a go-between for not just two, but many peoples. The diplomatic dilemmas are gripping, the obstacles to a forbidden love with a half-caste princess excruciating. A word on the climax: no one has written a better scene about honourable death in battle than this lady! The ending is even better – rarely has a book touched me so.