Kiran Desai

When you build on lies, you build strong and solid. It was the truth that undid you.

— Kiran Desai

When he died, I went about like a ragged crow telling strangers, "My father died, my father died." My indiscretion embarrassed me, but I could not help it. Without my father on his Delhi rooftop, why was I here? Without him there, why should I go back? Without that ache between us, what was I made of?

— Kiran Desai

Time should move,” Noni had told her. “Don’t go in for a life where time doesn’t pass, the way I did. That is the single best bit of advice I can give you.

— Kiran Desai

In India, if you are from the elite, dogs are extremely important. The breed of the dog indicates your wealth, that you are westernized. The cook, another human being, is on a much lower level than your dog. You see this all the time.

— Kiran Desai