Family Planning

"The truest portrait of modern New Delhi I've read, and the funniest book of the year."

"Brave, breackneck, and amusing. . . . A fearless cultural domestic tour. . . . Irreverent, fresh, and sometimes, given its author's youth, preternaturally wise. . . . Almost every page bears a passage worth quoting."

"Mahajan's sprightly first novel portrays India's capital—10 million strong—in all its explosive fecundity. . . . Genuinely funny. . . . Profound. . . . Mahajan is only 24 years old, but he has already developed an irresistible voice with a rich sense of humor fueled by sorrow."

"Karan Mahajan's Family Planning is one of the best and funniest first novels I've read in years. It hooks you with the first line. . . . Mahajan is an incredibly assured stylist and his story of Ahuja Pere and fils and their sprawling, squawling family is a great comic romp and a hugely promising debut."

"Pleasurably crazed. . . .Mahajan packs this hyperbolic blast of a novel with scathing reflections . . . . The rhythms of [New Delhi's] English, the tangle of its bureaucracies, the sights, sounds and smells of its streets — all spring to hectic life."

"Highly entertaining. . . . The level of concision, insight and humor on display in Family Planning is rare from any writer, but particularly one so young."

"[A book] I'd love to "gift". . . .is the coming-of-age comedy Family Planning, by the 24-year-old wunderkind Karan Mahajan. . . . There's something Nick Hornby to the tone–I love the way Mahajan sees family life."

"Sharply written, bracingly funny, and unexpectedly moving—Karan Mahajan combines 'take no prisoners' satire with haunting insights into the human condition."

"A spot-on satire of Indian family life, globalization, and intergenerational strife."

"Karan Mahajan's debut novel Family Planning offers up a funny and modern look at contemporary New Delhi."

"[A] solid portrait of contemporary India. . . . Consistently entertainingly told. Mahajan has obvious talent."

"I absolutely loved this novel. Mahajan has a writing style that just flows, and his figurative language is simply amazing to me. . . . Family Planning is a fantastic debut from an engaging writer."

"An excellent debut. . . . A portrait of family that is both comical and heartbreaking. . . . Mahajan's effortless blending of comedy and tragedy is irresistible."

"A delightfully entertaining novel about father-son conflict that readers from just about any culture can appreciate. . . . Mahajan interjects hilarity throughout otherwise tense and poignant moments of family drama. . . . Strongly recommended."

"It's hard to believe the author of this classic family saga is only twenty-four. Harder still to believe this is his first book. I've never seen a debut like this. Family Planning is the full band announcement of a major talent."

"Tremendously witty and buzzing with imagination, [Family Planning] reminds me of Philip Roth's early work — only better."

"An entertaining expose of a unique family."

"Readers of this New Delhi-set comedy of manners are in for a treat. . . . Mahajan, with supreme self-assurance, fashions a subtle, cutting take on modern India."

"Charming and hilarious."

"Mahajan is only 24 years old, but he has a mature and impressive grasp of poignant comedy and has opened up Delhi to western readers in a way that a more overtly politicised novel may not."

"Mahajan's debut is sharp, funny and stylishly assured. Hugely enjoyable."

"Comic novels, full of lovable eccentrics and sly social commentary, seem to be one of "new" India's main exports; this is one of the sharpest and funniest examples."

"Sure to pick up a huge readership. . . . [a] subversive, clever read set in India. . . . Laugh-out-loud anarchy with echoes of Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint."

"[A] bittersweet comedy set in a thoroughly 21st-century subcontinent."

"Mahajan's real success lies in his brutally honest unpacking of Delhi. . . . a knowing, deeply felt portrait of a Third World city at the beginning of 21st century. . . . [a] blend of the farcical and the though provoking that would count as ambitious for writers far more experienced."

"[A] delicious satire."

"An attention grabbing debut written at a furious pace . . . . at once absurd and moving."

"Mahajan has an eye for the ridiculous and an ear for comic dialogue that bear him out well . . . the farce never seems forced, the domestic chaos is well-etched and the humour is deadpan and unselfconscious—a rare enough quality in Indian writing. . .a relief from the spate of navel-gazing first novels we've been subjected to"

"[As] close to life as possible. . . . Karan Mahajan's Family Planning is smart and funny. Pick it up."

"From the loaded title through the shenanigans of our political netas, Karan Mahajan manages to weave a readable tale with sarcasm and wit. . . . It is a most promising start. I have no doubt we will hear more about him in the years to come."

"[E]xtremely comic, and one of the cleverest Indian satires in recent years. . . . a realistic look at contemporary Delhi. . . . a fantastic debut."

"[M]akes the right points about power games and inconsistencies of society. . . He can sparkle."

"[A] very funny book. . . . reminiscent of Tom Sharpe — or even the brilliant joint-family scenes from VS Naipaul's A House for Mr Biswas."