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"The Complex," forthcoming in March 2026
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Advance Praise:
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"...a testament to Mahajan’s genius. This novel is beautiful and unforgettable. A masterly novel, seemingly influenced by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, by a talented and self-assured writer.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“The Complex is an extraordinary gift to its lucky readers: an enormously full and brilliantly structured novel whose characters come to feel as familiar—and as bottomlessly mysterious—as one's own family. I was spellbound by the ramifying dramas of the Chopras, whose strong roots intertwine below their Delhi complex during decades of sweeping global and national change. I am awestruck by what Karan Mahajan has accomplished in The Complex and I never wanted this book to end.”
—Karen Russell, bestselling author of The Antidote
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“In the tradition of Tolstoy, Karan Mahajan has written a family saga and a historical epic that describes humanity with absolute fidelity—no kinder or crueler, wiser or duller, grander or punier than it really is. In The Complex, not only is the personal political, but the political is a duck blind for the personal, demonstrating how family secrets and failed businesses create demagogues, martyrs, and murderers. This is a far-sighted and serious novel, and a monument to radicalized times.”
—Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection
“A delicious page turner about familial jealousy and revenge that, in the Dostoevskian tradition, doubles as a masterful investigation of the slipperiness of power in a changing and modernizing world. The Complex is Mahajan's most exciting, virtuosic novel yet.”
—Vauhini Vara, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Immortal King Rao
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“Epic in scope, wonderous in its summoning of distinct characters, vital in its weaving of family and politics. This is a miraculous novel.”
—Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of National Book Award finalist Chain-Gang All-Stars
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"The Complex leaps off the page, comes racing at you, streamlined by Mahajan's style and spurred by his sharp nip. I was amazed at how fast the pages turned. A propertied Punjabi clan, with all of its deadly sins laid bare, generates forces that will frighten and excite the country. Mahajan orchestrates the turbulence with a brilliant eye and a ruthless hand."
—Raghu Karnad, author of Farthest Field
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“Brutal, knifesharp, tender—Karan Mahajan packs an entire world of desire, incendiary politics, greed, and transgression into this engrossing tale of a family bartering old myths for new."
—Nilanjana Roy, author of Black River
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