The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny - by Kiran Desai (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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

"A spectacular literary achievement. I wanted to pack a little suitcase and stay inside this book forever."--Ann Patchett

"A novel so wonderful, when I got to the last page, I turned to the first and began again."--Sandra Cisneros

"A grand and stirring love story, written in exquisite prose"--Namwali Serpell

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.

Review Quotes

"A novel so wonderful, when I got to the last page, I turned to the first and began again."--Sandra Cisneros

"The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a spectacular literary achievement. I wanted to pack a little suitcase and stay inside this book forever."--Ann Patchett

"What sheer delight! I haven't read a book that buoyed my soul this much in a very long time--such light, such lightness, such lightness of touch; such beauty, humor, and generosity of spirit. A grand and stirring love story, written in exquisite prose: it softly bombarded me and broke about my heart."--Namwali Serpell

"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."--Hisham Matar

"A powerful novel by a writer strong enough to pull back together worlds that are being pulled apart."--Mohsin Hamid

"I often get sent galleys. Most of the time I'm impressed but only rarely do I fall so deeply into a book that I lose track of everything. Now, a novel from Kiran Desai is always going to be an event, but The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny will be seismic, trust me. Brilliant doesn't begin to describe this novel's profound illuminative powers."--Junot Díaz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

About the Author

Kiran Desai is the bestselling author of the novels Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard and The Inheritance of Loss, which won both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Born in India, she came to the United States when she was sixteen and now lives in New York City.