In many ways, this satisfies the same niche as Jane Austen's work--an interrelated cast of characters in a time and place ruled by different conventions and conflicts, all collected into a story of semi-arranged matrimony. But the backdrop here is 1950's India and it covers not only the domestic arrangements of the richly drawn characters, but the political, legal, religious and cultural background to their lives. I think I will find myself wondering for a long time how my favorite characters are doing.