Acclaimed Indian author Kiran Desai has made a triumphant return to the literary world after nearly two decades with her new novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which has been shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize.
Desai, who won the 2006 Man Booker Prize for The Inheritance of Loss, re-emerges with a deeply layered love story exploring identity, belonging, and the Indian diaspora’s emotional complexities.
Her latest novel follows Sonia and Sunny, two Indian-Americans navigating love, alienation, and heritage across continents. The story unfolds through complex relationships, generational legacies, and themes of displacement and self-discovery.
Desai’s debut novel, The Inheritance of Loss, had earlier cemented her position as one of India’s most profound voices in global literature. Critics hailed it as a landmark exploration of postcolonial identity and migration.
In The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Desai moves beyond traditional diasporic narratives, blending American Gothic romanticism with realism. The novel delves into psychological and mystical dimensions, portraying Sonia’s haunting relationship with Ilan, a predatory artist whose influence shapes her inner turmoil.
Literary critic Vijay Mishra, Emeritus Professor of English at Murdoch University, calls the novel “epic in scope, rich with interconnecting themes, and a remarkable return by a writer who redefines the diasporic form.”
Desai’s exploration of love, loss, and identity bridges her Indian roots and Western literary influences, making the novel both intimate and universal. The narrative’s stylistic blend of realism, myth, and dark romanticism echoes the works of Melville, Hawthorne, and Rushdie.
The author, daughter of celebrated writer Anita Desai, continues a family legacy of literary excellence — yet with her distinctive voice that interrogates belonging, nationhood, and modern relationships through the lens of global migration.
If Desai wins again, she will become one of the few writers to have claimed the Booker Prize twice, reinforcing her enduring influence on world literature.
