The Complex

by Karan Mahajan

A brilliant, sweeping, tour de force moving between America and modern India, following the illicit liaisons, real estate dramas, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family — from the author of the National Book Award finalist The Association of Small Bombs

In a sprawling complex in Delhi, the sons and daughters of SP Chopra, one of India's political architects, live together vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man's legacy. By the late 1970s, his descendants are scrambling to define their own futures in a still-young nation on the brink of transformation.

Sachin Chopra leaves for America, with his bride Gita following not long after, as the newlyweds are eager to forge their own lives beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi remains an inescapable force, one that keeps pulling them back, even as Gita is menaced by Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman. A man of ruthless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. Meanwhile, Vibha, his sister, tries to keep the peace and the reputation of the family intact even as she wrestles with her own exile.

As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance. Equal parts brilliant family saga and piercing political drama, The Complex is a virtuosic novel of revenge and redemption, ambition and undoing, loyalty and love, by one of the most lauded voices in contemporary fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 10, 2026

About the author

Karan Mahajan is the author of "The Association of Small Bombs," which was a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award, and was named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by the New York Times Book Review. His debut novel "Family Planning" was a finalist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. He has been selected as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The New York Review of Books, and other venues. He is an associate professor in Literary Arts at Brown University. His third novel, "The Complex," is forthcoming in March 2026.

Reviews

[Karan · Rating 5 out of 5]

taking preemptive action LOL

[Hayden Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

to the PRH rep that pressed this book into my hands at FallCon: thank you. you were right.

[James B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Viking for the ebook. An epic book that follows three related families in India’s recent past. All three families are in the shadow of their famous patriarch, SP Chopra and are constantly measuring their failures against his greatness, which leads to goals that can never be met. One man throws himself into business, but barely breaks even, another tries to bring the innovations he learned in America back home, but finds his country just isn’t quite set up for these things. A third, Laxman, seduces, or assaults, the women inside the family and becomes a political zealot. With financial pressure and with trying to hold so many secrets, it’s only a matter of time until violence follows.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon a free, uncorrected proof of The Complex at a bookstore. I enjoy reading realistic fiction books about India and complex familial relationships, so this book seemed up my alley.

At first I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of characters, but Mahajan spent time digging into many of their motivations and points-of-view. I may have benefited from a family tree, but I believe I sorted everyone out after more detailed chapters cleared things up. I found the women, particularly Gita and Karishma, to be the most compelling. I love a story where everyone is flawed but has redeeming qualities. This rung true in The Complex. Even the seemingly most corrupt, Laxman, had complexity.

Some parts of the story dragged, but the usage of one-sentence chapter cliffhangers kept me steadily reading. Overall, I loved the opportunity to be one of the first to read and review this well-written novel. If you like messy relationships, character-driven storylines, and themes of economic classes, family duty, and the seeking of opportunities, this is a book for you.

[Maria DellaCorte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book overall, overly long though, too many different perspectives and I was confused about the main character Laxman, was I supposed to feel sympathy towards or hate him, why write from his point of view? Toxic family relationships were interesting to unpack, but no one was likable at all and everyone has ulterior motives

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This multigenerational family epic was complex in so many different ways. An extended family lives in multi story compound with family members leaving and returning, both the pull of family as well as country. But there are always secrets and lies that eventually come forth especially in a microcosm. A satisfying read.

I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.