What do you think?
Rate this book
The New New Delhi Book Club
About the Book
THE PORTRAIT OF A COMMUNITY, IN THIS CASE A DELHI NEIGHBOURHOOD, FACING THE UNCERTAINLY OF THE PANDEMIC TOGETHER.
As the pandemic brings India to a halt, an elderly woman falls down in her home and hears her leg break. Next door, a young girl stuck indoors persuades her taciturn old neighbour to set up a book club. A few doors down, a wife contemplates the plans she once made with an ex-boyfriend as her husband grows distant. A young boy falls in love with a girl on the rooftop across. A market trader battles against being housebound until his cousin is felled by the virus. And a migrant labourer sets off on foot, heading back to his village as work dries up in the city.
Evocative, lyrical and uplifting, the interconnected stories in The New New Delhi Book Club reveal Radhika Swarup’s innate ability to paint a vivid portrait of a community and to find hope and joy even in the most trying of times.
About the Author
Radhika Swarup is a lapsed banker and now a writer. Her work explores the themes of identity and exile. Her last novel Civil Lines looked at India's 2018 Me Too moment, and was longlisted for the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival Best Novel Award. Where the River Parts, her debut novel, dealt with the lives and fortunes of a Hindu–Muslim couple parted in Punjab during the Partition of India and Pakistan and was chosen by Amazon India as one of their memorable books of 2016. It was also long listed by the Authors' Club for the Best First Novel Award.
Radhika lives in London and visits Delhi often.
THE PORTRAIT OF A COMMUNITY, IN THIS CASE A DELHI NEIGHBOURHOOD, FACING THE UNCERTAINLY OF THE PANDEMIC TOGETHER.
As the pandemic brings India to a halt, an elderly woman falls down in her home and hears her leg break. Next door, a young girl stuck indoors persuades her taciturn old neighbour to set up a book club. A few doors down, a wife contemplates the plans she once made with an ex-boyfriend as her husband grows distant. A young boy falls in love with a girl on the rooftop across. A market trader battles against being housebound until his cousin is felled by the virus. And a migrant labourer sets off on foot, heading back to his village as work dries up in the city.
Evocative, lyrical and uplifting, the interconnected stories in The New New Delhi Book Club reveal Radhika Swarup’s innate ability to paint a vivid portrait of a community and to find hope and joy even in the most trying of times.
About the Author
Radhika Swarup is a lapsed banker and now a writer. Her work explores the themes of identity and exile. Her last novel Civil Lines looked at India's 2018 Me Too moment, and was longlisted for the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival Best Novel Award. Where the River Parts, her debut novel, dealt with the lives and fortunes of a Hindu–Muslim couple parted in Punjab during the Partition of India and Pakistan and was chosen by Amazon India as one of their memorable books of 2016. It was also long listed by the Authors' Club for the Best First Novel Award.
Radhika lives in London and visits Delhi often.
150 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2024
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 29, 2025
Its been 5 years since the first lock down during the pandemic. Since then I have read 2 books on it and this is the 3rd book. I loved the cover and the hardbound feeling.
The book is set in a New Delhi neighbourhood during the lock down.
The author has described the various tenants who are living in a colony. She has talked about all the characters around, their routines, the gossip and how their lives were affected.
Amongst this situation a little girl who has newly moved to the building, befriends an elderly man.
Together they start a book club amongst themselves to keep theselves occupied in the midst of chaos.
The book potrays family dynamics, relations when children are away, treating your helpers and situations of people who had to move back to their villages.
It's a very simple book about individuals during the pandemic. Do pick up if you want to remind yourself of those days.
The book is set in a New Delhi neighbourhood during the lock down.
The author has described the various tenants who are living in a colony. She has talked about all the characters around, their routines, the gossip and how their lives were affected.
Amongst this situation a little girl who has newly moved to the building, befriends an elderly man.
Together they start a book club amongst themselves to keep theselves occupied in the midst of chaos.
The book potrays family dynamics, relations when children are away, treating your helpers and situations of people who had to move back to their villages.
It's a very simple book about individuals during the pandemic. Do pick up if you want to remind yourself of those days.
December 3, 2024
Set in in the early days of the lockdown, this book shares tales of a nondescript neighbourhood in the city of Delhi. The stories span relationships and situations ranging from a book-club formed by a little girl and her old neighbour through veiled disgruntlements in seemingly happy families to young lovers aching to touch across Covid walls.
The characters in the book are simple, almost cliched, with no eccentricities or excesses (bar the lady with the dogs), but real and relatable. Similarly, the happenings in the book are commonplace, but so authentic and believable.
The writing is unassuming and accessible, but never trite or boring. I liked how the book could be read as chapters in a novel or a set of loosely interconnected short stories, each one capable of holding its own.
Set in a time when our lives had been completely upended, it would have been much easier to write about the bizarreness and quiet of that period, but the book focuses on the quotidian and the constants, reminding us that life went on. The pandemic plays on in the background, but on mute.
I really liked this book. There is nothing remarkable about it, but that’s its strength, not its weakness. It is measured, in the best way possible.
The characters in the book are simple, almost cliched, with no eccentricities or excesses (bar the lady with the dogs), but real and relatable. Similarly, the happenings in the book are commonplace, but so authentic and believable.
The writing is unassuming and accessible, but never trite or boring. I liked how the book could be read as chapters in a novel or a set of loosely interconnected short stories, each one capable of holding its own.
Set in a time when our lives had been completely upended, it would have been much easier to write about the bizarreness and quiet of that period, but the book focuses on the quotidian and the constants, reminding us that life went on. The pandemic plays on in the background, but on mute.
I really liked this book. There is nothing remarkable about it, but that’s its strength, not its weakness. It is measured, in the best way possible.
January 12, 2025
The New New Delhi Book Club by Radhika Swarup is a lyrical tribute to the resilience of a community during unprecedented times. Set against the backdrop of the pandemic, the book brings to life a Delhi neighborhood where everyday lives intertwine in unexpected and deeply moving ways.
With tender prose and a keen eye for human emotions, Swarup captures moments of hope, connection, and quiet strength amidst uncertainty. Each page is a reminder of the bonds that hold us together, even when the world feels distant.
Why You Should Read This
This book is not just about the pandemic; it’s about human connection and the beauty of everyday lives. It offers a fresh perspective on finding joy and resilience in small, unspoken moments. If you love stories that leave you introspecting, and feeling both comforted and inspired, this is a must-read. It will remind you of the quiet power of kindness and the enduring spirit of community.
With tender prose and a keen eye for human emotions, Swarup captures moments of hope, connection, and quiet strength amidst uncertainty. Each page is a reminder of the bonds that hold us together, even when the world feels distant.
Why You Should Read This
This book is not just about the pandemic; it’s about human connection and the beauty of everyday lives. It offers a fresh perspective on finding joy and resilience in small, unspoken moments. If you love stories that leave you introspecting, and feeling both comforted and inspired, this is a must-read. It will remind you of the quiet power of kindness and the enduring spirit of community.
April 21, 2025
This book is a recap of the most common things that happened in Covid, it is a journey through Covid universal truths. Due to the name of the book I was expecting a deeper story of how a book club that started in Covid ended up in something compelling, however, the book club is mentioned 3 times without too much relevance.
The chapters can be confusing as it seems these are through de point of view of different characters, but is not always clear which characters point of view is it.
The chapters can be confusing as it seems these are through de point of view of different characters, but is not always clear which characters point of view is it.
January 31, 2025
"It wasn't the hint of a beginning, the hope of one word following another, but it was something"
Collection of characters intertwined in bittersweet stories during the tough phase of Covid 19 lockdown. A cute book where you are likely to find your own New New Delhi Book Club .
August 25, 2025
this book felt like a warm plate of dal chawal you eat at 3 in the afternoon while watching some old daily soap ka repeat telecast on tv durinh covid. this book is felt like i was reliving those moments where i didn't know what a pandemic meant but all i knew is i had unlimited vacation from school <33
December 8, 2024
My favorite Maggi noodles were mentioned multiple times. This book oozes love and warmth. It is a nice introduction into people’s life in New Delhi during the pandemic.
December 31, 2024
Lockdown and the story that revolves around the community and a book club.
July 17, 2025
2.5⭐️
It was okay. Too many switching POVs, half of whom I had no reason to care about.
Picked it up at an airport because I had to take stuff out of my suitcase because it was over the weight limit and I needed a bag to put the extra things.
It was okay. Too many switching POVs, half of whom I had no reason to care about.
Picked it up at an airport because I had to take stuff out of my suitcase because it was over the weight limit and I needed a bag to put the extra things.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews