Of Love and War | 7 books that will stay with you forever // South Asian Edition

Speculative fiction and romance are genres that hardly disappoint. The fear of immediate death in a wartime setting leading to the urgency of developing a character add much drama and intrigue to novels of love in a military landscape.

Snatched meetings, possibility of unbearable loss and dire compassion for family amidst an unkind turmoil among men make every book of this genre worth remembering.

Here are some suggestions ranging from award winning novels to some lesser known works by authors of South Asian origin; India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885, this masterly novel tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who goes on to create an empire in the Burmese teak forest; an atmospheric narration of human relationships and love.

In this intimate coming-of-age story set in the late 1970s, a young girl struggles to make sense of the chaos around her during Pakistan's political upheaval, where the military revolts, the embassy burns, and a terrible secret tears her world apart.

Exit West tells the story of Saeed and Nadia, who meet and fall in love as their country breaks out in a civil war. They finally have to flee, using a system of magical doors that lead to different locations around the globe; every page reflects the tangible impact of wartime.

This historical fiction novel centers the point of view of Rehana Haque, a widowed mother who struggles through Bangladesh Liberation War as both her children become increasingly involved with the war efforts; a tale of passion and revolution, of hope and unexpected heroism.

Written in the form of a letter, Sea Prayer is a father's reflection as he watches over his sleeping son, on the dangerous journey across the sea that lies before them. It is also an account of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city's swift transformation.

Set in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, the central character, Maali Almeida, is a dead photographer who sets out to solve the mystery of his own death and is given one week ("seven moons") during which he can travel between the afterlife and the real world. Won the 2022 Booker Prize.

Kaikeyi reimagines the life of the infamous queen from the Indian epic the Ramayana, weaving a tale of fate, family, courage, and heartbreak—of an extraordinary woman determined to leave her mark in a world where gods and men dictate the shape of things to come.