The English Problem
By Beena Kamlani
Crown Publishing, 2025

Inspired by the author’s uncle, Shiv Advani is no ordinary young man. He has been chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to go to England, learn their laws, and return home to help drive the British out of India. He soon discovers a world he is both repelled by and drawn to. He sees how the empire has seeped into everything—not just land, but literature, language, religion, sexuality, and self-identity. Before long, the people Shiv sought to be liberated from will be the people he desperately wants to be a part of. In the end, Shiv must fight not only for his country’s liberation but also his own.

About the Author
Beena Kamlani is a Pushcart Prize-winning fiction writer whose work has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, and other publications. A former senior editor for the Penguin Group, she taught book editing at New York University for nearly two decades. The English Problem is her first novel.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.