Polite Society

Bored witless in her south Delhi cocoon the beautiful Ania Khurana seeks excitement. Whether tinkering with her novel-in-progress or setting up her single aunt and close friends with suitable men she undertakes her projects with a passionate focus. Art fairs literary residencies a weekend at a cricketer-turned-politician's country retreat and of course dozens of glittering parties-Ania applies her exceptional industry to them all. But her privilege cannot mask the darkness and vulnerability at the heart of her ornate world-nor does it enable her to influence the dazzling deadly men and women who appear in it.Keenly observed sharply plotted and full of wit and brio Polite Society reimagines Jane Austen's Emma in contemporary Delhi to portray a society whose polished surface often reveals far more than is intended. Review Rao gouges out the fault lines of urban India all the while casting a humorous look at its foibles and charms. . . [his] insights are surprisingly spot on -- LivemintA remarkable portrait of the ways in which both money and marriage are valuable currencies in a circle that resists expansion -- OpenRao [has the] superlative ability to bring alive the environment with his writing . . . I was glad to have been a fly on the wall of this fictional world Rao has conjured with such intelligence and eye for detail -- WireHigh comedy with a dark edge; and a genuinely well-adapted Jane Austen novel through it all -- Hindustan TimesHis style is coolly omniscient -- The HinduRao doesn't just topple the carefully-balanced facade with humour and piercing insight he also creates a novel that is very much its own -- Scroll.inAn insightful read into the frivolity and the futility of the lives of crazy rich Dilliwalahs -- QuintThere is much that might seduce us in this novel - the writer's creation of Delhi all surfaces and shine flecked with equal parts eyeroll regard and irony; the ease and elegance of his language; the sly stylish wit -- Indian ExpressA bitingly funny version of Jane Austen'sEmma -- South China Morning PostEntertaining -- Week About the Author Mahesh Rao is the author ofThe Smoke Is Rising which won the Tata First Book Award for fiction and was shortlisted for the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize and the Crossword Award andOne Point Two Billion.