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any suggestions for some jovial fiction?

i started reading stories by some asian authors but they all seem to dwell too much on the darker side of life and it gets me down.

thanks

Meera Syal comes to mind. I haven't read any of her novels, but as she's a comedian/writer I'd have thought she would include some humour into her novels?

I love asian fiction but not sure I've read any jovial ones! White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is quite funny in places but not jovial.

Definately recommend Meera Syal. A lighthearted touch at some deeper things. well written and touching.
Or Arundhati Roy. God of small things. Not lighthearted but utterly beautiful and must be read.

Ive read alot of Asian fiction - Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, and as you say the majority of it is quite heavy going and focuses on the darker sides of life in one way or another.
I think as far as modern fiction goes the closest Ive read to jovial is the Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri which is definately worth a read. I agree with fifi that I found the White Tiger incredibly funny at times but ultimately its a black comedy
Of the asian classics Monkey by Wu Ch'eng-en is an incredible read. Its really laugh out loud funny in places, really good stories and also carries a spiritual message - its what the 70s series Monkey was based on. This may be more what you are looking for.
And I cant agree with Pig re God of small things. It is beautifully written but what a dirge! All of the characters suffer endless misery their entire lives, there is nothing uplifting at all in the entire novel. I still feel depressed just thinking about it. If asian fiction in general is getting you down then that will finish you off!

I enjoyed a couple of these books recently
www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=marriage+bureau+for+rich+people&sprefix=marriage+bureau%2Cstripbooks%2C240

They remind me of No.1 Ladies Dectective Agency. Nicely written.

Salt and Saffron by Kamila Shamsie is a brilliant book and (although sad in some places, but what book isn't?) very funny and chattily written.

Roopa faruki's books are really good. They look at families in a light hearted but also sometimes moving way. Not dissimilar to meera syal tbh

I find Kavita Daswani interesting and funny in her portrayal of the modern indian woman caught between East and West.

I can't remember the author's name but i read a book recently called 'tender hooks'. It's set in pakistan and is a fairly chick-lit type novel.

I seem to remember A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth being quite light-hearted, although it's nearly 20 years since I read it so I could be forgetting all the heavy bits!

Agree that White Tiger is very funny but definitely black humour - read it when I still went to a book club and there was a big split (funny boom vs horrible book).

A Suitable Boy is lovely but huge, needs plenty of time.

Yes, Anita and Me and Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee are very good.

There's [http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0747592764/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mn-af-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0747592764 The Hindi-Bindi Club]]

Sorry

The Hindi-Bindi Club

has anyone mentioned One night at the call centre by Chetan Bhaghat?

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard was quirky and very funny in parts. Set in India where crazy events are an everyday occurrance!

Lighter book - well one with a not totally depressing ending - would be Mistress of Spices

Thanks for the replies. This thread disappeared off my list so didn't c most of the posts. Lots of suggestions so I will get busy reading. cheers

Hullaballoo in the Guava Orchard for me, too! Also The Pleasure Seekers by Tishan Doshi - it's a lovely and gentle story about a marriage, all done with a very delicate touch.

Jasmine Nights by SP Somtow. Gentle book with lovely humour

Beyond the Devil's Teeth - Tahir Shah.

Wikipedia: Forty-five million years ago, Gondwanaland[1] split apart to form India, Africa and South America. Spellbound by the ancient myth of the Gonds who inhabited a fragment of the supercontinent, Tahir Shah decided to follow their path through India and Pakistan, to Uganda and Rwanda, Kenya and Liberia, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for Brazil, and the Patagonian glaciers. Roughing it for most of the journey, Shah shared his travels and his tales with a mix of eccentric and entertaining characters, from Osman and Prideep, Mumbai's answer to Laurel and Hardy, to Oswaldo Rodiguez Oswaldo, a well-turned-out Patagonian.

Shah starts out as a bit of a prat but then really does broaden his mind as he travels - while still vividly showing the annoying side of travel and foreign parts.