Karan Mahajan’s ‘The Complex’ chronicles Delhi family’s decline after 10 years

Karan Mahajan's new novel 'The Complex' is his first in a decade. The book is based on the family circumstances of Mohit Chopra, who named Mahajan his literary executor and left a 1,00,000-word unsent message that Mahajan used as source material.

The story centres on the Chopra family, descendants of SP Chopra, a Constitution framer and former Reserve Bank governor. The narrative begins as Brij Chopra returns to the family complex after 25 years in prison for murdering his right-wing politician brother Laxman. The novel is divided into three parts: Gita's World, Laxman's Complex, and My Protest.

The New Indian Express review notes that while the novel effectively tackles themes of desire and political violence, its treatment of Indianness can feel jarring at times. The book is published by HarperCollins and priced at Rs 799.