In this fascinating novel about a family in modern India, readers follow Sumi, a newly married quantum physicist, as she adjusts to life with her in-laws in the middle-class town of Shantinagar. As she settles in, Sumi soon notices the similarities between her new life in Shantinagar and the quantum world, that is, the events and emotions of one place are entangled with other places and events, revealing new truths, secrets, and changes in the environment. As things change, the residents of Shantinagar must change with the times and reflect on what they know, while Sumi must mix love and logic to understand her new life in Shantinagar. A unique mix of themes and perspectives, readers will love the insights into Indian family life and the dynamics of Sumi’s in-laws and new neighbors. Her perspective, as an outsider turned insider, is really interesting especially because the relationships and truths evolve over the course of the novel in some really interesting ways. The other characters really help build out the story and demonstrate the connections that Sumi has made in her mind, and readers looking for a fascinating slice of life book will really enjoy Nidhi Arora’s unique take on the genre.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book. All views and opinions are my own.

“The Lights of Shantinagar” was an insightful look at Indian family culture through some slice of life stories of different residents in the neighborhood. It was interesting to learn about the hopes and dreams of the characters, and their various points of view. While entertaining, I admittedly had a hard time focusing on everyone’s stories because there were too many minor plot points, such that the ending wasn’t really impactful or memorable. Those who are looking for easy to appreciate stories about daily life might enjoy this.

Intergenerational family life and quantum physics
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Marrying the unlikely bedfellows of intergenerational family life and quantum physics, The Lights of Shantinagar is about entanglement: the entanglement of families joined by marriage, of personalities tangling and clashing, of history and custom tangling with dreams and the future. Aspiring quantum physicist and second daughter-in-law Sumi joins the Kapoor household lowest on the pecking order, but it doesn’t take her long to begin to see the ways in which her new family, their friends, neighbours and acquaintances connect and interact with each other, and how she can become part of the complexity.

Perhaps I’m overselling the quantum physics angle but it’s in there, I promise you, but don’t come imagining you’re going to get Stephen Hawking crossed with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (but what a novel that would be!). Instead, the colours and sounds and, above all, the tastes of the close-knit family will entrance you as we navigate the traps and pitfalls, the joys and sorrows of this cast who can’t help leaping off the page.

Beautiful, moving, and full of cultural richness 🪔🌸. The Lights of Shantinagar is a powerful, atmospheric novel that transports readers to a vibrant community full of history, resilience, and heart. Nidhi Arora writes with compassion and vivid detail, bringing the characters and setting to life. I adored the emotional depth, the exploration of belonging, and the celebration of tradition. A touching, beautifully crafted story for fans of layered, character-driven fiction.

A fresh look at joint family life in a small town where everyone purportedly knows everyone else’s business. Joint family living has never been easy, not then not now and in this story there is a easy going mother in law and father in law ( half the battle won), a well established elder sister in law who has no wish to loosen the reins and the newest daughter in law, who is wise enough to compromise on many things. The men are harmless, non interfering. Very unusual in itself.

The happenings in one house are linked with their neighbours and so examinations, entrance to colleges, marriage proposals are all very much a communal issue. How lives get micro managed by everyone in their circuit, the inevitability of it all is highlighted. It is not callous and uncaring or harsh. Far from it. Everyone believes one is acting for the common good and the betterment of the unit.

I liked the story very much but for those who need personal space, this would be a bit of an eye opener. Reminiscent of what happens even today (maybe with a few tweaks here and there) this was a very goo

<i>The Lights of Shantinagar</i> is set in a small town, in a densely knit society where festivals are celebrated together and marriages become a community event. The families come together for gossip, grief and good times, as their own family go through periodic dysfunction and a long lull.

The stories are common, and the novel takes through lives of men, women and young adults as they navigate their lives for several weeks with events passing by, disrupting the dynamics and eventually settling down to the drag that is life.

There are no antagonists or protagonists for they each one of them is one or the other or neither. They have their stories, hopes and dreams, and the strength to nudge others in small ways - helpful in their own way but messy for those in their vicinity. This leads to many misunderstandings that do get resolved in their own time, though they fester in hearts of those afflicted for many many days.

One doesn't look for happy endings everywhere in stories like these, sometimes deciding to go away from family in itself is a peaceful ending for those involved. There is pain of parting but there is also contentment in knowing that this is okay also, that what society says is a "way of life" may not be agreeable to everyone. That's perhaps the underlying heart of the story.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Unbound Firsts for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I love reading books set in India, or even about Indian characters set in other places. I had a hard time getting into this one, for some reason. For one thing, there were SO many names thrown at me from the very beginning, and I am just not great at names.... so that is on me. Another thing was the pacing..... it was a slow burn for most of the book. Most of the time, the story didn;t feel like it was going anywhere. Then every once in awhile, something would crop up that would really hold my interest - like the scene with the butterflies, and I would become invested in the story for a short while. I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn't a great fit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound Firsts for the ARC!

The writing was descriptive and I appreciated the glimpse into another culture. As a mostly character driven book, I felt the pacing was a bit slow and I didn’t find myself connecting to the characters much.

This is a story of many characters searching for their path in life without giving up themselves, and a few looking to find themselves again.
The author gives in depth character development of all characters in the book and uses many subplots to tell the entire story.
Everyone deserves to be happy in life and this story shows that for all of the characters.
Thank you Unbound publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

this was a really nice look into characters. i do like a good book when its simply just a snippet of people and those peoples lives. it wasnt big or heavy or with the need for some extravagant plot or points. but let me just add this isnt said as a flaw. we are simply watching and learning the lives of a family and the community they live in.
it was a warming book. and just because there was no big twist and turns, just learning the characters and how they fit and live together was enough to bring a brilliantly woven plot. i really enjoyed reading this book.
i would happily learn what happens for each of the families lives we visit. and would happily to go and learn more about them or another snippet in time. because behind each houses door is families and setups that are so individual and readable.

Thank you to Net Galley and Unbound Firsts for the ARC. This is different from my usual read, but I liked reading about the different characters lives. This book is a more a character study and I enjoyed reading about their lives and how they intersect, and the decisions they end up making by the end of the novel.

Nidhi Arora’s beautifully written debut novel tells the story of several families in the fictional Indian neighbourhood of Shantinagar. In the first chapter, we are introduced to the Kapoor family dynamic through the simple (or perhaps not so simple!) act of making chai. Over the coming chapters, the author naturally weaves through a sense of community, and as the reader, we come to learn the connections between all of the characters. The cast are all lovable in their own ways, and it’s clear that they are each trying to do what’s best for their families, even though it doesn’t always work out as they intend.

I loved how quantum physics was used to explain the personal relationships between the characters. It was such a unique way for Sumi to experience the world, and not one I’ve come across in a novel before.

This is a warm, wholesome read that I highly recommend. It is a lovely exploration of family and personal connection.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I have many bookshelves filled with novels set in India. I've been reading about the country for 30 years but I can almost always find something new.

Of course, I requested The Lights of Shantinagar. I enjoyed the small details of family life but there came a point when I realised that there were a lot of characters with similar names, and not very much was actually happening.

It's more like tapas than a full meal. Little bits and pieces of delicious observation, but by the end, I was still hungry for something to get my teeth into.

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for my copy.

"They were a ruin of a garden, no doubt, but the garden nonetheless" (c)

"The Lights of Shantinagar" is a very eventful and emotional family drama set in modern India. Thankful for this book showing me Indian culture and Indian people with all of its tender, delicious and unforgettable moments. With its multiple characters and a lot of unanswered questions, while I enjoyed it a lot, I would've appreciated getting more from some of the issues portrayed in the book.

Three sisters were probably my favorite characters. Their storyline seemed the most relatable and conflict the most compelling. The wedding chapters and the aftermath were heartbreaking but so, so bittersweet to witness.

P.s. The mention of Eclairs toffee brought me to my childhood. I need to find those candies NOW!

3.5 stars from me
Thank you NetGalley and Unbound for this ARC.

An enjoyable read. Set in India, the book focuses on the lives of a small group of neighbours in the village of Shantinagar.. Hopes and dreams are explored in a tender and understanding way, as are petty thefts and rivalries.

The author made the characters believable and likeable. There isn't a strong plot, but the story draws you in and you want to find out what happens to all the characters. It's written with great warmth for the neighbours and their village living.

I enjoyed this story from start to end, and I think it's quite an achievement for a new author to write a book that is so easily readable.

I'm looking forward to her next book!

Loved The Lights of shantinagar. The main protagonists and the side characters are really well fleshed out. The story is wholesome and feel good. I will definitely recommend this to anyone who want so read a good book.

I really liked this book! I liked the themes of womanhood, sisterhood, family, learning, and education, and growth. It was a well written story and I enjoyed the storyline. I think it was a feel good story even though there were some uncomfortable moments

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

What an interesting read. When the lights go out, change happens to the families involved in the story. I think this book does a great job capturing the charm of close nit ties between families and their dynamics. This book gave me interesting insights into culture that I didn’t think about before. Overall, this book was unique and left me pleased about this read. I could see myself picking this book up at a bookstore and wanting to snag it for myself. I hope this book gets picked up by video media because I think it would be fantastic as a tv series or a movie.

This book is a real accomplishment, especially for a debut novel. It’s an intricate, delicate study of the intertwining lives of three families living next to each other in a modern Indian middle-class suburb, and I enjoyed every page. The author has a real gift for drawing up characters that are complex, nuanced and realistic. I usually prefer the stories I read to be a little more plot-heavy than this is, yet I was never bored or tempted to put the book down. The writing is engaging and compelling throughout, and it’s a real testament to the skill of the author that the little twists and turns of domestic life made me gasp out loud. A thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable read. 4.5 stars.

A sweet book about the complexities of families, especially families who live together in multi generational spaces.