THE WEIGHT OF WALLS

Karan Mahajan discusses The Complex, exploring family, politics and displacement

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In the sprawling urban I landscape of late 1970s Delhi, the family compound of the late political architect SP Chopra stands as a monument to both power and confinement. This is the setting for The Complex, the latest novel by Karan Mahajan, a family saga tracing India's transition from socialist gasps to nationalist fervour.

The story follows the Chopra descendants as they scramble for influence. At the heart are newlyweds Sachin and Gita, who flee the pressure cooker of the family estate for America. Yet, distance is no cure for the gravity of home. While Gita is menaced by Sachin's predatory uncle, Laxman, a man rising through a burgeoning Hindu nationalist movement, she finds herself trapped in the inert silence of small-town Michigan.