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A Novel
by Kiran Desai
Book Reviewed by:A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years—an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, by the Booker Prize–winning author of The Inheritance of Loss.
When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that served only to drive Sonia and Sunny apart.
Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India. She fears that she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists.
Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award 2026
Here is an interesting award recognizing distinguished fiction that tells American stories in a uniquely American voice, one that reflects Mark Twain's incisive curiosity and humanity. Celebrating its tenth year. Longlist 2026 Are You Happy?: Stories — Lori Ostlund Atavists: Stories — Lydia Mille...
-Anne_Glasgow
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (12/18/2025)
.... I'd stumbled on it while looking for an audio book to borrow from the library, so was well-pleased with my uninformed selection. Also just finished The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. At 670 pages, it was a bit longer than I'd wanted to get into. I'd say 3/4's of it was interesting, but I did skim from time to time. I liked the se...
-Robin_G
What’s the last book you purchased? Why did you select it? Paperback, hardback or ebook?
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. I'm saving it for the Christmas holidays.
-Nancy_L
Book Club Reading List 2026
...tie Kitamura Apr 8 - Endling by Maria Reva May 13 - Black in Blues by Imani Perry Jun 10 - Good Material by Dolly Alderton July – no meeting Aug 12 - The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Sep 9 - Flesh by David Szalay Oct 14 - North Woods by Daniel Mason Nov 17 - The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits Dec 9 - The Land in Winter by Andr...
-Anne_Glasgow
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/16/2025)
...ho also becomes a talented artist. The book reveals the challenges they face managing their forbidden love. It was an enjoyable read. I also finished The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. The plot was a love story between two people with family saga and tragedy. A longer read (700 pages) for me than normal, however the author captures...
-Lynne_G
2025 Booker Shortlist announced
.../book_number/5037/flashlight Flashlight by Susan Choi https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/5090/the-loneliness-of-sonia-and-sunny The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/4991/audition Audition by Katie Kitamura https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.c...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (09-11-2025)
I finished https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/22821/the-loneliness-of-sonia-and-sunny The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai a few days ago. It's her first book in 19 years (!) after her Booker-winning https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/1881/the-inheri...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? (9/04/2025)
I'm about halfway through https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/22821/the-loneliness-of-sonia-and-sunny The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai and loving it. It's on the longlist for the Booker Prize and is also nominated for the Kirkus Prize, so I expected it to be entertaining and I have n...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? (8/28/2025)
...ad no clue what it was about when I signed up for it and was pleasantly surprised. After that, I'm going to start one of the Booker nominated novels: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. I hope it goes well because it's l-o-o-o-ng. I just started Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower this morning in audiobook format.
-kim.kovacs
Kirkus finalists announced!
FICTION https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-3077-0015-5 The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (Hogarth) https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063318779 The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy (Mariner Books) https://www.publishersweekly.com/978059373...
-kim.kovacs
What’s the most challenging book you’ve ever read?
...rved reputation as a hard book. True, it's long, but these days many books are! (I just ordered a copy of https://www.bookbrowse.com/search/index.cfm The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai and it's nearly 700 pp.)
-kim.kovacs
Booker Longlist announced!
...ese have you read? Love Forms by Claire Adam The South by Tash Aw Universality by Natasha Brown One Boat by Jonathan Buckley Flashlight by Susan Choi The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai Audition by Katie Kitamura The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller Endling by Maria Reva Flesh by David Szalay Sea...
-kim.kovacs
In many ways, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny has the form of a conventional love story: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. But no novel by Kiran Desai could ever be that simple. Entertaining subplots weave their way throughout the narrative, many of them portraying different types of loneliness... The novel grapples with racism, classism, and cultural and generational differences, among other themes...continued
Full Review
(766 words)
(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
Hisham Matar, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Return
Kiran Desai reveals the breadth and depth of time, how it weighs on families and nations caught within the drama of history. She captures this with a rare and astute sensitivity that, no matter her subject, casts a light on our present. Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Brilliant doesn't begin to describe this novel's profound illuminative powers. Khaled Hosseini, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns
This poignant novel—rich with culture, heartbreak, and hope—was an unmitigated joy to read. Mohsin Hamid, New York Times bestselling author of Exit West
A powerful novel by a writer strong enough to pull back together worlds that are being pulled apart.
In Kiran Desai's novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Sonia has a talisman, inherited from her grandfather, that she takes with her wherever she goes for protection and inspiration. She's told it's a gau box from Tibet, "fashioned from tarnished, battered silver that was carved intricately with curly clouds swirling to dragons. It could be worn about the neck as a heavy pendant, or attached to a belt, or carried in a mountain pack over the high Himalayan passes where travelers would need a supernatural guide through the wilderness."
Gau boxes (also called a ghao or gao) are small, portable containers that have become integral to Tibetan Buddhism. Their use dates back to the 7th century, when Buddhism was first introduced to Tibet...
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