Book Review: ‘The Complex’ by Karan Mahajan
Family stories have a way of exposing the quiet truths people spend years trying to hide. The Complex by Karan Mahajan leans into that idea and refuses to look away. This is not a tidy family saga where conflicts are neatly resolved or characters grow into better versions of themselves. Instead, Mahajan presents a portrait of a family bound together by legacy, ambition, and resentment, all unfolding inside the walls of a Delhi apartment complex that becomes the gravitational center of their lives.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Viking for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of The Complex contains some spoilers!]
A complex family in Karan Mahajan’s novel
The novel takes its name from the building itself, a property built by the Chopra family patriarch decades earlier. Over time, the building becomes much more than real estate. It is a symbol of status, influence, and belonging. Relatives circulate through its apartments, arguments spill into hallways, and every room seems to hold the residue of old alliances and grudges. Even when characters move away or attempt to build lives elsewhere, the complex still serves as the family’s emotional headquarters.
Mahajan tells the story through multiple members of the extended Chopra family, allowing the reader to see how differently each person experiences the same history. One person’s triumph becomes another person’s quiet humiliation. An event remembered as heroic by one generation is interpreted as manipulative by the next. That shifting perspective is one of the novel’s most interesting qualities because it reminds us how family mythology gets constructed. The version of the past people repeat often has more to do with ego than with truth.
The shadow hanging over the family is the legacy of S. P. Chopra, a revered political figure whose reputation still shapes how the family sees itself. His public image carries weight far beyond his lifetime, and many members of the family feel both pride and pressure from that legacy. Some characters attempt to live up to it. Others quietly resent the expectations that come with it. The result is a family dynamic where love and competition sit uncomfortably side by side.
The Complex excels because of the relationships and characters inside
What I found most compelling about The Complex is that Mahajan is less interested in dramatic plot twists than in the gradual erosion of relationships. The tension in this book builds slowly. Small betrayals accumulate. Ambition grows sharper. People convince themselves they are justified in choices that ultimately harm the people closest to them. Watching those patterns unfold feels unsettling in a way that is very believable.
The novel also moves between India and the United States, following characters who try to create distance from the family orbit. Yet even across continents, the emotional ties remain strong. A couple living in the Midwest might appear to have escaped the chaos of the Chopra household, but the expectations of home still follow them. Phone calls, family visits, and lingering obligations keep pulling them back into the same dynamics they hoped to leave behind.
Mahajan writes these characters with a clear awareness of their flaws. Many of them behave selfishly or make choices that feel frustrating to watch. Yet the book rarely treats anyone as entirely irredeemable. Instead, it shows how insecurity, pride, and unresolved resentment can slowly shape a person’s worldview. The result is a cast of characters who feel complicated rather than likable.
Stylistically, this novel leans toward thoughtful observation rather than dramatic momentum. Mahajan spends a lot of time examining how his characters think about themselves and each other. The pacing is deliberate and at times reflective. Readers who enjoy novels driven by psychological insight will likely appreciate that approach. Those looking for a faster narrative may find the structure slower than expected.
What stayed with me most after finishing the book was how clearly it shows that families function almost like political systems. Power circulates. Alliances form and dissolve. Reputation becomes currency. Some characters maneuver carefully to gain influence, while others withdraw entirely from the competition. Yet no one escapes the structure completely.
That idea becomes especially interesting when the story touches on formal politics. Mahajan subtly suggests that the same instincts shaping family life also shape public life. Ambition, loyalty, rivalry, and image management all play similar roles, whether the stage is a dinner table or a political campaign.
So, who will enjoy The Complex?
Readers who gravitate toward big literary family dramas will likely appreciate this one. If you enjoy novels where character psychology drives the story more than action, Mahajan’s approach will feel rewarding. It also works well for readers interested in how personal history intersects with larger social and political forces.
Fans of authors like Arundhati Roy, Rohinton Mistry, or Jonathan Franzen may find familiar ground here. Like those writers, Mahajan is interested in the long shadow families cast over individual identity. However, this may not be the right fit for readers looking for a light or escapist read. The emotional atmosphere is often tense, and the characters spend much of their time confronting uncomfortable truths about themselves and each other.
For readers who enjoy thoughtful literary fiction that examines the complicated bonds between relatives, The Complex offers a layered exploration of how families create both belonging and pressure. It asks readers to consider how much of our identity is shaped by the stories our families tell about themselves and what happens when those stories begin to unravel.
In the end, the novel suggests that family legacies can feel permanent and immovable. Yet beneath the surface, those structures are often far more fragile than anyone inside them wants to admit.
The Complex by Karan Mahajan is available now from Viking Publishing! Have you read this novel yet? Did you like it as much as we did? Share your thoughts on social media and tag @bsb.insider to continue the conversation!
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