Honestly think finishing this book may rank in my 2023 achievements. A Suitable Boy is one of the longest novels in the English language, clocking in at just under 1500 pages and, to be brutally honest, really, really doesn't need to be.

Set in 1951 and 1952 in post-colonial and post-Partition India, A Suitable Boy technically follows the story of Lata, a young female student whose mother is set on finding 'a suitable boy' for her to marry. Alongside Lata's search to find a husband we also dip into the life of her brother-in-law Pran's attempts to modernise the curriculum at the university, his brother Maan's romantic entaglement with the courtesan Saaeda Bai, his father Mahesh's career in Indian politics during an especially turbulent time along with Lata's other in-laws the Chatterji's irrevent and snobby lives in Calcutta and Maan's family friends the Khans, grappling with being both Muslim and landowners at a time of significant change for both these groups. We also get detailed sidebars from musicians, tutors along with local and national politicians.

It is a truly sprawling narrative and there's much to enjoy here. Seth's prose is - usually - entertaining and humerous, especially when it comes to following the lives of his characters. When we're with Lata and her slightly ridiculous mother (think Mrs Bennet from Pride & Prejudice), the chaotic Chatterjis and generally exploring relationships; this feels very well drawn. These characters feel vibrant and their homes seemingly leap off the page. However, other characterisation is not as solid, surprisingly Lata's love interests all come across as fairly flat, and largely defined by one characteristic (Muslim, Poet, Shoemaker respectively). Given that this is the plot hook, I did expect to be slightly more interested in these characters and in Lata's ultimate choice.

Whilst the characterisation is generally strong, I felt that this novel felt at its most bloated when Seth attempts to zoom out and provide wider context; or goes on random side quests with minor characters to give us, for instance, detailed views of a local music scene, spirituality or the history of shoemaker in India. I feel that Seth was probably trying to draw comparisons with authors like Tolstoy but I just found these sections an absolute slog. Indeed, I was rarely motivated to pick up this book because I wanted to know what happened, but because I just wanted to finish the thing. It did feel to me that Seth's points could have been made with far less detail, and I wish he'd had an editor who'd trimmed some of this excess. The decades he's spent writing A Suitable Girl makes me think this won't have changed.

It's undeniable that this novel provides a detailed insight to life in India in the 1950s, to a society that is trying to work out what its identity is after colonial rule and hints at the rifts that form part of Indian society today. I would say it is worth a read if you want to get this detailed, detailed insight.

Four families in the fictional Indian city of Brahmpur juggle familial expectations, post-partition politics, and their own desires in the search for suitable matches. After spending 1350 pages with Seth’s sparkling, multifaceted characters, I cannot help but long for a few more pages.