Must-read Indian books of 2025
Literary Pulse of India: 6 Books Set to Define 2025
2025 brings a literary feast, with Arundhati Roy’s first memoir and Kiran Desai’s emotional new novel leading the charge. From thought-provoking non-fiction to immersive fiction,Indian authors are ready to stir minds and hearts.These 26 titles promise to define the year’s reading list.Discover Vogue’s pick of the most awaited releases.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Everyone agrees: when Arundhati Roy writes, the world listens.
Her upcoming memoir—one of the most anticipated Indian books of 2025—is a poignant tribute to her mother, Mary Roy, who passed away in 2022. “I ran from her at 18,” Roy writes, “not because I didn’t love her, but in order to be able to continue to love her.” Slated for publication by Penguin Random House India, the memoir is an intimate blend of grief, humour, tenderness and truth—an ode to the most profound and complicated bond of her life.
Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
Learning from Silence, Pico Iyer’s latest book comes with the subtitle: “Lessons from more than 100 retreats.”
Due for release in February by Penguin Random House India, it offers a deeply personal exploration of the author’s time spent in monasteries across the world. Through these retreats, Iyer learns patience, finds joy in solitude, and discovers that silence can be its own form of companionship. With poetic clarity, he invites readers into a world where stillness speaks louder than words.
The Himalaya in a Small House by Anuradha Roy
Winner of the DSC Prize and longlisted for the Booker, Anuradha Roy is celebrated for her lyrical prose and quiet storytelling.
Her latest work, The Himalaya in a Small House (Hachette India), brings that same elegance to non-fiction. The book chronicles her move to a remote Himalayan village with her husband and their dogs, capturing the rhythms of mountain life and the serenity of forest living. With rich detail and emotional depth, Roy paints a vivid portrait of her new world—one that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
How to Forget by Meera Ganapthi
Published by HarperCollins India, Meera Ganapathi’s How to Forget is a lyrical exploration of memory, loss, love, and longing.
Told through 55 walks across cities and timelines, the book navigates both personal and collective histories—where each journey, though familiar in path, unfolds in unexpected ways. From elephants roaming the Nilgiris to quiet moments of solitude and prawns sizzling in chilli oil, Ganapathi paints a world rich in sensory detail. With gentle insight, she offers a meditative pause from the relentless pace of modern life.
Badass Begums by Anoushka Jain
With a background in art history and as the founder of Enroute Indian History, Anoushka Jain has become a trusted voice on India’s rich past.
Her debut book, Badass Begums (HarperCollins India), brings to light the powerful and often overlooked stories of India’s royal women. From the literary brilliance of Jahanara Begum to the quiet strength of Qudsiya Begum of Bhopal and the fearless reign of Razia Sultan, Jain uncovers the legacies of women who defied convention and shaped history. Bold, insightful, and refreshingly feminist, this is the Indian history lesson we’ve all been waiting for.
