This book is a commitment at just around 700 pages, but it is fully worth that commitment. Desai has put together an epic story of two families, haunted by their pasts. Despite the blurb of this book focusing on the romance of the two title characters, the loneliness of all the characters is more prominent and striking.

It is honestly hard to summarize the plot because so much happens and some of it is best left to the reader to uncover. However, in brief: we meet Sunny and Sonia, two young adults from India who are in the United States. Sonia's family tries to arrange a marriage for her with Sunny, which is promptly rejected. Sonia and Sunny go on a journey to find themselves separately, crossing paths and going far away. Their parents, too, navigate their lives with and without their children, especially Sunny's widowed mother who finds herself adrift with her son gone.

Desai touches on a whole range of themes throughout the story, from colonialism and globalization, to the power of art, the loneliness of being alive in this world, and generational trauma. She weaves in elements of the surreal, which were surprising and intriguing. There are moments where you are not sure what is real and what is not. That won't work for everyone but I loved it.

There were parts of this book that dragged for me, always an issue for me when a book is over 500 pages, but I think that is more of a "me thing." I especially loved the last 100 pages of the book. The writing throughout it superb and I'm glad she got a Booker nod for this story.

About Sunny and Sonia, but equally about their respective families and their informal families because in India that’s the joy of living in a close knit community where endearingly or otherwise, lines are blurred and everyone’s business is everyone’s business. I liked how we get the full flavor of life, culture, and people of India as well as how Indians view the world as we crisscross the world with Sunny and Sonia. I wasn’t quite wowed by the sweeping tale - it felt like it wandered all over the place and I found it slower paced and it’s a tome at close to 700 pages! I wasn’t too enamored with Sunny and Sonia as characters. I did enjoy the Sonia dad character, notwithstanding his crankiness and him being such a curmudgeon - it was humorous. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I waited, with many others, for years for this novel. Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss had a huge impact on me as a reader and a writer. This novel reads like a revenge novel with a thinly-disguised Orhan Pamuk character. Of course, writers often put exes, friends, and family members in their books. Nothing wrong with that in itself. But, in this novel--even with the forced magical realism subplot--it was not interesting at all. Even the prose felt overdone with sentences crammed with so many adjectives and adverbs. Maybe I'm at a different place in my life where I need different kinds of books. Clearly, this book appeals to many others, including literary award juries.

This book represents the long waited return from Kiran Desai and I think in some ways it delivers so much. You can truly feel the weightiness of distress built into the characters lives. The anticipation builds throughout the novel to see if these characters will connect, though I think this is not the reason this book came to be. The rich culture & different class issues that still exist in India are shown throughout this novel. I think it was a great read, felt dense in some parts so it feels like it was a good way to break up the novel and slowly take it in.

This book is about being trapped by other people and the question of whether it’s possible to truly break free. It's about forging connections while recognizing that you've been deeply hurt and have deeply hurt others—and probably will again.
I loved how Desai gives every character a life philosophy that is simultaneously insightful and humorously flawed. This allows the novel to tackle a sprawling, ambitious range of themes without feeling like a lecture: the echoes of colonization in personal relationships, what it means to be an outsider everywhere, the performance of class, and the messy nature of human connection. The only section that dragged slightly for me was when Sonia was struggling to write her own novel; a plot point I feel like I've seen a few times recently.
The sense of place is also incredible. As I mentioned in my “halfway review,” it made me feel nostalgic for places where I spent time in New Delhi in the early 2010s, as well as for places I walked past last weekend. The book later comes back to the topic of what it means to feel nostalgic, and how some people long for a place even while they’re there. I wasn’t sure when the book was set until the timeline clicked into place with the events of September 11th, which provides a stark anchor point affecting characters across the globe.
To be clear, this book is not short, and it is certainly not understated. It's a maximalist novel, filled with big ideas, messy characters, and philosophical detours. For me, that was a huge part of its appeal.
(Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for the early copy.)


Halfway review:
I'm about halfway through, and I'm really enjoying it. What I'm connecting with most is its exploration of deeply flawed romantic and familial relationships, especially in the first quarter of the book. It feels like Desai is having a lot of fun showing how a couple's or parent-child's dynamic can be a disaster from the foundation up.
I'm also loving how rooted the story is in its settings. It's making me feel nostalgic for Hauz Khas and Jackson Heights, even though I currently live only a couple of miles from Sunny’s usual haunts on 37th Avenue.
Curious to see how the rest of this very long book unfolds!
(Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for the early copy.)

This is such a beautiful story ,I was completely carried away into the characters lives world.Inhope this wins all the awards and handed from reader to reader.#NetGalley #random house

I was completely engrossed by this novel, finding parts of it deeply relatable as an immigrant who also came to the U.S. as a student. Sonia’s feelings of isolation in a cold, unfamiliar environment, while studying at a university in Vermont, resonated strongly with me. Kiran Desai masterfully draws the reader into the world of her characters—her storytelling makes you feel like you’re right there, witnessing it all unfold.

Sonia and Sunny live parallel lives in the U.S., unaware of each other despite their families' hopes that they’ll meet—a meeting that doesn't happen until much later. I especially loved the richly detailed glimpses into Sonia’s family back in India—her grandparents, her aunt, and their layered, vibrant lives. Sunny’s world is equally complex, marked by family feuds and tensions between his mother and her late husband's brothers. Each family’s story feels distinct, yet all are subtly intertwined.

A particularly vivid section describes Sunny’s mother’s life after she moves to rural Goa from the big city of Delhi —the relentless monsoon rains, the animals and insects, and the challenges of living so close to nature. These scenes are so evocative, they linger long after reading.

One of the most haunting moments in the book is when Sonia, lonely during a school winter break in Vermont, forms a complicated relationship with an older, eccentric artist. Their connection leaves a lasting impact on her, emotionally and psychologically—she comes to believe he has left her under a dark spell. It’s a powerful moment in a novel full of rich, unforgettable ones.


Thank you to the publisher. I received an ARC copy of this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to purchasing a hard copy of it to read again.

So much loneliness. Even though this is primarily a story of two people working their way toward each other, it really showcases how much loneliness and misunderstanding exists between married couples, families, neighbors, even countries. Primarily set in India, it meanders through 15-20 years of history including 9/11 in the United States. It touches on the caste system, integration (or lack thereof) in America and Europe, and the haves vs have nots in all societies.

The one big complaint I have is the extreme wordiness of the novel. Every thought, nearly every action of every character is detailed, even those without a direct connection to the story. It is certainly a fleshed-out picture of everything and everyone in the novel! Culling 100-200 pages would have made reading it more enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth Press for the ARC to read and review.

This is a book that people will be talking about for years to come! I was so engrossed in this story. The author brings these characters to life in a way that I have never read before. I can't say enough good things about this book. I am in awe!

I am absolutely in love with the story here. It is what makes this book special. I was surprised to find when I started that Sonia and Sunny were not together. Waiting to see how they would intersect kept me turning pages. The way the story morphs was incredible.

I took my time reading this (almost 2 months!) and I’m so glad I did. The story is packed-full of characters that might make you feel overwhelmed at times, but to me it just added to the richness of the story.

Loved the way Desai delivered Sonia and Sunny’s stories through the pages. And loved the sprinkles of comic relief to break up the tension in some parts.

One of my Top 5 reads this year!

Staaaaaaaap!!!!!!!! Oh, my, GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!! THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!! Like , my brain chemistry has been FOREVER changed!! One of the most heartwarming books I’ve ever read in my life

This book has so much going on, I really don't know where to start describing all the things I loved about it. It is the sort of book that I recommend to patrons by simply saying, "This book is phenomenal from start to finish. One of the best I've read this year."

There are so many characters spread across so many times and places, but each is so well-drawn I had no problem keeping track of everyone. The writing is so smart. There are about a million sections highlighted in my digital copy because the author said something interesting or used the perfect phrase.

I have already pre-ordered my own hardcover copy for my collection at home! I will definitely be putting this book in the hands of all the library patrons.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny (On Sale 9/23/25, thank you @Hogarth @NetGalley for the #gifted eARC)

I’m veering from my typical format and jumping right to the conclusion: go preorder this now! I’ve seen The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny showing up in my feed and it’s on most Booker predictions I’ve seen. I’ll admit, after requesting it I reread the blurb and debated withdrawing it; the mention of spells and embarking “on a search for happiness together” felt romance coded which is not my thing. Thank goodness FOMO got the better of me and that @bitterpurl and @owenreads allowed me to insert myself into their buddy read, because the hype is warranted. This will be one of my top reads of the year.

As I worked through this grand narrative I kept thinking “this book has it all!” It has excellent writing, the story is compelling, and there is depth that makes it more than just a good story. Desai covers a lot of ground in nearly 700 pages, creating a multifaceted, deeply meaningful tale about independence and connection in a world with many complexities. She tackles racism, colonization, art and the cost of creativity, performance, and more, but it never feels too political or preachy or overdone.

Initially I second guessed myself but as the book progressed it became impossible to doubt Desai’s skillful use of humor alongside deeply serious moments; one moment I teared up with emotion and laughed out loud the next. My jaw literally dropped at Desai’s honesty, line after line hits hard with an unflinching candidness, there was just one impactful statement after another calling into being truths that aren’t often said aloud but absolutely exist.

Desai conveys loneliness in a way I don’t recall experiencing before. She characterizes a depth of loneliness in a way that resonates with me, and I love that the loneliness doesn’t magically disappear using an unrealistic romance trope or happily ever after. Even with all the external factors that influence our lives and who we are, I love that this novel explores happiness as an inside job. There is hope and magic here, but there’s also reality. I love it, can’t wait for more people to discover this gem.

Grateful to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

This novel is a sprawling saga of the lives of Sonia and Sunny, two Indian-born children who are educated in the United States. Their grandfathers had been friends for years and at one point, their families consider an arranged marriage between the two, which ultimately does not happen. Years later, they do begin a romantic relationship that falls apart, but even as years pass, they continue to think of each other and each hold resentments towards Ilan, Sonia's former boyfriend.

Kiran Desai is an incredibly talented writer and the prose in this novel is nothing short of stunning. The ranging cast of characters is portrayed with warmth and depth. The novel touches upon themes ranging from the immigrant experience, the complexities of familial expectations across cultural and social upheaval, and the haunting of past heartbreaks. I fully expect to see this novel in conversation for the Booker Prize. It has been nearly 20 years since Desai's last novel, but this has been well worth the wait.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A couple of young Indians, educated in the United States, are suggested as a marriageable pair by their relatives. Unbeknownst to their families back in India, both Sonia and Sonny are romantically involved with Westerners. Over time, both relationships end and Sonny and Sonia come together without the knowledge of their people. It doesn't last. Life happens, success happens, struggles happen.

I love the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Hogarth (Jaylen) for an ARC of this novel.

What an absolutely wonderful novel. Back in the day, this novel might have been called “big-hearted” for its treatment of the many characters and situations in the story. But that term doesn’t really cover the magnificent complexity of this novel. Kiran Desai has written a huge, sprawling, entertaining novel that is immensely readable and relatable yet at the same time manages to touch on some fairly serious subjects. While a summation of the novel would have to focus on the central relationship between Sonia and Sunny as they maneuver through the late 1990s and early 2000s to try and find themselves and each other, in truth the novel is about nothing less than life itself, human existence with its many highs and lows.

The novel explores love in its many forms—familial, parental, romantic, fraternal, dysfunctional—as well as racism, poverty, class distinctions, American exceptionalism, Indian history, and more. And yet the novel is not pedantic or preachy. Desai manages to focus on these subjects with a wry style that had me laughing out loud at times.

Desai applies this wry, witty authorial lens on the many characters in the novel. Even when they are on the stage for only a few pages, each character is fully realized and well-rounded. They are lovable, despicable, unpredictable, generous, selfish, selfless, and vengeful. Their motivations are myriad and complex, and this renders them as very human. All struggle (but one?) with life and its setbacks, occasionally achieving moments of clarity. The beauty of the novel is that we spend time with many characters, not just Sonia and Sunny, so that we end up listening to a chorus instead of a duet. Desai reminds us that any love story between two people is actually a love story brought about by a myriad of people.

Again, this is a big, wonderful novel that is a world unto itself. Dickensian in the best sense, filled with great and memorable characters and a touch of evil just to keep things lively.

This work follows the previous acclaimed work from the author after a very long gap and I believe the wait was worth it. Though long, the story moves at a reasonable pace so you don't feel the length of it. A good read!

Undeniably beautiful writing and storytelling. This novel definitely requires patience and attention. I found my interest ebbing and flowing throughout. Recommended to readers looking for a lengthy story that spans decades and continents, and that explores topics of love, identify, family, and beliefs.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

"The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" by Kiran Desai is a brave literary novel, written on an epic scale. It is the love story of Sonia and Sunny, of the artist and their art, and of nations with themselves and the rest of the world. Themes of love, trauma, and heartbreak, as well as inequality and prejudice, are reflected in scales and perspectives from the personal through the societal. The writing is beautiful, complex, and specific; every word and image is carefully chosen and woven into the patterns that define the novel. The images and ideas will remain with me. This is a work worth contemplating and rereading. I highly recommend "The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" to readers who enjoy complex and thoughtful writing, where everything has meaning that extends far beyond the surface.

Many thanks to Hogarth/Random House and NetGalley for access to a digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.