Family Planning

With his effervescent debut, Karan Mahajan splatters onto the world stage, coating modern New Delhi in salty gouts of compassion, capturing what it means to be both human AND Indian, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Our hero is a politician and father of thirteen - all still at home. I don't know which is scarier: a politician raising his own voter base; or raising thirteen kids. Thankfully, the terror stops there. The fun, however, starts on page one and continues throughout the book. We have family follies and political pandemonium; coming-of-age and first-love; and lots of children. I felt as if Mahajan was sitting next to me telling me the story; the writing was that real and 'friendly'. I am amazed that this is a first book. This being the P.S. edition, we also get the additional material from him in the back of the book. Grab this one if you want to have fun and enjoy a satiric look at part of the life of India.

Great new debut by such a young author with such insight into family situations. A must read for anyone interested in contemporary writing about India as well as the Indian culture. Looking forward to his next book!

Family Planning is a remarkable book from a young writer. I would recommend it for any fan of dark humor.

In this novel about a government minister facing a midlife crisis, Karan Mahajan takes a page from another Indian writer, R.K. Narayan, by telling readers a witty, engaging story about a lively cast of characters, while also addressing (if subtly) that age-old existential question: What are we doing here, anyway? I'm looking forward to seeing more from this young, and very talented, writer.