Karan Mahajan has published a new novel titled The Complex through Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The book explores the lives of Indian immigrants Gita and Sachin in Midland, Michigan, touching on themes of family tensions, infertility, and cultural displacement. An excerpt reveals their struggles with returning family visits and personal regrets.
In The Complex, published in 2026 by Viking, Karan Mahajan delves into the immigrant experience through the story of Gita and Sachin, a couple living in Midland, Michigan. The narrative begins with Gita returning from a trip to India, feeling detached and declaring to her husband, 'I don’t want to try anymore,' in reference to their efforts to have children. Sachin responds by offering to take US citizenship, highlighting their ongoing negotiations about life in America.
Tensions rise when Sachin informs Gita that his relatives, Laxman and Archana from Delhi, will visit in May, a plan arranged without her knowledge. Gita, upset by what she sees as interference from Laxman's sister Vibha, recalls a previous conversation where Vibha suggested adoption, which Sachin dismissed. The couple argues over returning to India, with Gita accusing Sachin of being defensive about his family due to their past support after his father's death.
The excerpt portrays Gita's isolation, as she contemplates death in a foreign land and the fears shared among immigrant friends of dying away from home. She reflects on advice from friend Anamika that children help shift focus from the past. Seeking escape, Gita secures a part-time copy editing job at Bay City Monthly to avoid the visit, prompting Sachin to wonder about life without her.
Flashbacks reveal Sachin's arrival in the US in 1974 after his father's sudden stroke, his struggles including driving cabs in Newark, and how letters from Gita led to their 1976 marriage. They discuss settling in America temporarily, with Gita insisting it be an adventure for a few years. The story underscores the couple's evolving relationship amid cultural pulls and personal losses, including Sachin's mother's death post-marriage.
Mahajan weaves in details of their clever phone calls to India and Sachin's reluctance to repatriate despite promises, illustrating the complexities of exile and family bonds.