First Light Books is honored to welcome Karan Mahajan to Austin to celebrate his newest novel, The Complex, which has received early praise from esteemed authors such as Karen Russel.

The event will begin with an author reception from 6:00-6:30 p.m., followed by an author talk with fellow novelist and First Light Member, Lucas Schaefer.

Tickets include a copy of the book and a reserved seat. Unreserved seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Free RSVPs are also encouraged.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Complex follows the family of SP Chopra, one of India’s political architects, as they live together in a sweeping Delhi complex, vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man’s legacy. By the late 1970s, his descendants are scrambling to define their own futures in a still-young nation on the brink of transformation.

Sachin Chopra leaves for America, with his bride Gita following not long after, as the newlyweds are eager to forge their own lives beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi remains an inescapable force, one that keeps pulling them back, even as Gita is menaced by Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman. A man of ruthless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. Meanwhile, Vibha, his sister, tries to keep the peace and the reputation of the family intact even as she wrestles with her own exile.

As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Karan Mahajan is the author of Family Planning, a finalist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize, and The Association of Small Bombs, which was shortlisted for the 2016 National Book Award, won the 2017 NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award, and was named one of the New York Times Book Review’s "10 Best Books of 2016." In 2017, he was selected as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. His reporting and criticism have appeared in the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker Online, and other venues. He teaches at Brown University.

Lucas Schaefer's work has appeared in One Story, The Baffler, Slate and other publications. His debut novel, The Slip is the winner of the 2025 Kirkus Prize for fiction, a Washington Post Top 10 Book of 2025, and one of the New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2025.