Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Such a Long Journey | 1991 | Rohinton Mistry | Buy |
| 2 | A Fine Balance | 1995 | Rohinton Mistry | Buy |
| 3 | Family Matters | 2002 | Rohinton Mistry | Buy |
Such a Long Journey (1991) established Mistry as a novelist of serious ambition. Set in Bombay in 1971, it follows Gustad Noble, a bank clerk, as the political turmoil of the India-Pakistan war reaches into the lives of his family and neighborhood. The novel won the Governor General’s Award and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.
A Fine Balance (1995) is the centerpiece of his career — a 600-page novel set during the Emergency period that weaves together four protagonists whose fates become intertwined. It is a demanding read and a rewarding one. Family Matters (2002) returns to the Parsi community of Bombay to tell a more domestic story, centered on an elderly man with Parkinson’s disease and the complicated loyalties of the family responsible for his care. All three novels have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, a record of consistent critical recognition.