At 52, Shiv Murthy is a New Delhi professor of history. He leads a mild, unremarkable life until, while his wife is away, things spin out of control. First, the young and passionate daughter of an old friend breaks her leg and moves in with him. Even as he struggles to care for Meena and ignore his increasing attraction to her, a group of religious extremists challenges one of his lessons on medieval India. His instinct is to apologize, but the voice inside his head keeps asking: “Do you imagine an ordinary man cannot be a hero?” The decision he makes will prompt readers to ask themselves the same question.
“A heady mix of myth, modern mores, politics and lust. . . . Heartbreakingly funny, moving and as relevant as today’s headlines.”—The Washington Post
“Githa Hariharan’s fiction is wonderful—full of subtleties and humor and tenderness.” –Michael Ondaatje
“If this premise seems to be drawn from the headlines of modern, B.J.P.-dominated India, Hariharan amplifies the themes of courage, dissent, and responsibility in her protagonist’s private life. . . . The result is an engaging portrait of the mild-mannered professor.” –The New Yorker
“Appealing. . . . By turns bewildered, titillated, embarrassed, and frightened out of his wits, Shiv makes a sweetly sympathetic hero for a story that is part comedy of manners, part comedy of ideas.”—The Boston Globe
"A modern fable . . . beautifully told in a spare style that is as modern as its subject."--The Baltimore Sun
"A witty, insightful novel . . . Hariharan tells the tale with a realistic grasp of how people interact and a highly evolved sense of the absurd." --The Seattle Times
“Intelligent . . . [Hariharan’s] deceptively simple prose belies the artistry of her phrasings and she writes with an infectious concern for her characters.” --San Francisco Chronicle
“Admirable. [Its] themes . . . extend beyond India or its current situation. They are universal. Ms. Hariharan has written a fine novel that leaves much to ponder long after its conclusion.” –The Richmond-Times Dispatch
“[Hariharan is] an outstanding writer.” –J. M. Coetzee
“Eloquently written . . . a quick read, and fascinating to any outsider. A modern book, it reads like a classic with gorgeous prose and intense conflict.” –The Oklahoma Gazette
"Imaginative . . . entertaining . . . [The] strength of this highly readable tale is that it is a delicate blend of humor, tenderness and insight." --Tucson Citizen
“Wonderful . . . Ms. Hariharan executes the vastness of India’s historical terrain, and the minutiae of one sagging human being finding a flicker of inspiration, with great dignity and intimate humor.” –The Asian Reporter
"Engrossing . . . re-establishes [Hariharan's] reputation as a deft storyteller." --India-West
“Hariharan captures Shiv’s besieged existence with just the right amount of angst, confusion, polemic and humour. Hariharan has written . . . [a] persuasive work that tells of the perils of sectarianism and silence in the face of oppression.” –Far Eastern Economic Review
“Hariharan writes with anguish, pain and anger about what is happening to our country. I put In Times of Siege on top of my list of books that must be read.” –Khushwant Singh in The Hindustan Times
