Night in Delhi

by Ranbir Sidhu

About the Book
Nervy, daring, properly transgressive, Night in Delhi is Indian fiction remade, with nothing to prove and nothing to lose.' —Jeet Thayil
There are no good people here. And perhaps no truly evil ones. A small-time thief and hustler and his lover and pimp, who is a rising star in Delhi's music scene. A lost American and acolyte of a so-called guru. A young woman who hopes to save herself by becoming a boss in one of India's new mafias. And everyone floating in a world of shades of grey.
In a devastating portrait, Ranbir Sidhu's Night in Delhi invites us into a city and its underworld where at any moment the ground might collapse beneath you.

About the Author
Ranbir Sidhu is the author of six books, including Dark Star, Deep Singh Blue and Good Indian Girls. He is a winner of a Pushcart Prize and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, among other awards, and his stories and essays are published worldwide. He lives in Greece.

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 16, 2024

Reviews

[Aurodeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racy plot, gorgeous writing.

[Meera Vani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this after reading the author's first novel Deep Singh Blue and just wow, very uncomfortable and at times amazing and other times I didn't know what to think. I guess intense is the word. It moves fast and really never lets you go. Four stars instead of five but it stays with you and give yourself some trigger warnings if that's what you need before diving in.

[Arun Kool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, a lot of people are going to hate this book and a lot of people are going to love it. It is VERY uncomfortable at times, but there's never a moment when the writer doesn't lose the thread. Give it a try. I say it's worth it.

[Vicky Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came across this new release at BLF this year. I'm not usually a reader of noir but enjoyed both the language and narrative of this book. Having lived in Delhi for a couple of years pre pandemic, there were a few weirdly nostalgic moments too.

[Swapna Peri · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Night in Delhi" is a gritty, unflinching look into the dark underbelly of the city 🌃💣. Told through the voice of a **nameless queer protagonist**—a male prostitute, con-man, and thief—this novella drags you into a brutal world where **morality is blurred** and survival is everything 🖤⚖️. The fast-paced narrative pulses with tension as the narrator recounts a life surrounded by exploitation, deception, and fleeting tenderness 💔. Ranbir Sidhu masterfully captures Delhi's seedy nights, where each shadow hides betrayal, yet glimmers of connection and vulnerability flicker like neon lights in the dark 🕯️🏙️.

The supporting characters are just as layered and morally ambiguous 🌪️. There's the narrator’s lover-pimp Jaggi—both a source of comfort and manipulation 🎭💔, an American woman lured into a spiritual scam 🌐🛐, a sleazy call center tycoon 💼📞, and a foreigner looking to exploit the “Indian experience” 📸🎯. Despite their flaws, these figures aren’t caricatures—they bleed, ache, and yearn. Sidhu challenges readers to confront the **grey zones of human nature**, making this more than just a crime story—it’s a reflection on identity, power, and the fragility of love 💘💥.

What makes this novella stand out is its focus on a **working-class queer narrative**—a voice rarely heard in Indian fiction 🧍‍♂️🏳️‍🌈. The narrator dreams of escaping to a peaceful life by the sea with Jaggi, but reality bites hard 🌊🥀. Their love, like everything else in the story, is tender yet volatile—full of stolen moments and harsh truths. Though some threads remain unresolved, that’s precisely what makes *Night in Delhi* so powerful. It refuses to offer neat endings or false hope. Instead, it leaves readers haunted by its **emotional rawness** and the memory of love blooming in the shadows 🕶️🖤. A dark gem not to be missed!

[Ketaki Sharma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible, pessimistic book. The poor protagonist just suffers endlessly with scenes written in just to make up for the lack of an actual plot or substance.

This man attempted to write the next White Tiger but just wrote an empty novel with weak characterisation and an inauthentic core.

[Jay Mistry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't know what was happening at first, but by the end I was thinking this could be my book of the year. Don't want to say more.

[Vaibhav · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a magnificent book. Must read!

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

bit too intense

[Ananya · Rating 4 out of 5]

gorgeously jagged.