A Good Indian Wife cover

A Good Indian Wife

by Anne Cherian

Neel Sarath, an Indian-American anesthesiologist in San Francisco, believes he's distanced himself from traditional Indian life with his blonde American girlfriend, his shiny Porsche, and his spotless condo. Called back to India to visit his ailing grandfather, Neel finds himself tricked into a marriage with Leila Krishnan, a local English teacher well past marrying age. But Leila is not a meek, traditional bride who can be set aside while life goes on as usual, girlfriend and all. In this riveting tale of a transplanted arranged marriage, first-time novelist Anne Cherian explores how immigrants, caught between two worlds, have to learn to overcome their own suspicions of others in order to find themselves.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?