The Complex
A Novel
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
A New Yorker Best Book of the Year So Far
A Most Anticipated Book of 2026: The Washington Post, Vulture, Lit Hub, The Millions, Chicago Review of Books
“A sweeping tale of political machinations, family drama, betrayal and social transformation.”
—The New York Times’s “32 Novels We’re Excited About This Spring”
“[A] magisterial performance. . . Mahajan is a confident, ambitious and increasingly important writer.”
—Jonathan Dee, The New York Times Book Review
“A testament to Mahajan’s genius. . . . Beautiful and unforgettable”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A brilliant, sweeping tour de force moving between the US and modern India, following the illicit liaisons, real estate dramas, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family — from the author of the National Book Award finalist The Association of Small Bombs
In a sprawling complex in Delhi, the sons and daughters of SP Chopra, one of India's political architects, live together vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man's legacy. By the late 1970s, his descendants are scrambling to define their own futures in a still-young nation on the brink of transformation.
Sachin Chopra leaves for America, with his bride Gita following not long after, as the newlyweds are eager to forge their own lives beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi remains an inescapable force, one that keeps pulling them back, even as Gita is menaced by Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman. A man of restless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. Meanwhile, Vibha, his sister, tries to keep the peace and the reputation of the family intact even as she wrestles with her own exile.
As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance. Equal parts brilliant family saga and piercing political drama, The Complex is a virtuosic novel of revenge and redemption, ambition and undoing, loyalty and love, by one of the most lauded voices in contemporary fiction.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In this ambitious family saga from Karan Mahajan, a Delhi compound gives way to a high-pressure story of love and political power. It’s 1980, and Sachin Chopra tries to build a quieter life in Michigan with his wife, Gita, but the family legacy keeps tugging them back toward Delhi. Inside the family’s gated complex, resentments fester, alliances shift, and Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman uses charm and intimidation to get what he wants. The tension builds ever higher as Laxman begins to gain power through the world of politics, turning the family’s shared address into a trap that no one can leave simply. Mahajan balances intimate scenes of marriage, jealousy, and shame with a sharp sense of how public life can amplify private damage. One compromise triggers the next, until secrets and ambition collide. With complicated, precisely drawn characters, The Complex is a bruisingly human story that offers a tense, clear-eyed view of a family learning the true cost of power.
