This November, HarperCollins India is set to release Lightning in a Shot Glass, a whip-smart, wildly funny, and deeply relatable new novel by acclaimed journalist and author Deepanjana Pal. With early praise pouring in from leading writers, comedians, and critics, the book is being hailed as India’s answer to Bridget Jones’s Diary—but with a sharper edge, a lot more heart, and unmistakable Mumbai flair.
Set against the chaotic, ever-humming backdrop of Mumbai, the novel follows two flatmates—Meera, a 40-year-old journalist with a mid-life crisis brewing, and Aalo, a 29-year-old looking for purpose, direction, and a romantic partner who didn’t vote for the right wing. As they navigate long-distance infatuations, career politics, judgmental families, and a never-ending stream of absurdities, it is the bond between women—and the city itself—that keeps them afloat.
“Absolutely top-tier Indian contemporary fiction. Empathetic, smart, layered, sharp, funny, honest, authentic and complex.” — Samit Basu
“A book that allows women to read for pleasure without any guilty-shilty added on.” — Paromita Vohra
“Wickedly funny, wildly unserious about serious things… you’ll breeze through with a grin.” — Aditi Mittal
Funny, feminist, and fiercely alive, Lightning in a Shot Glass is not just a rom-com—it’s a celebration of friendship, flawed women, and the glorious, messy sprawl of modern urban life.
Speaking about her latest work, Deepanjana Pal says:
“It began as something I wrote to distract myself from the awfulness around us, but quickly became less about escapism and more about what makes everything better—namely, the friendship of women, a city of dreams, and a few good men.”
Dharini Bhaskar, Associate Publisher, Literary, at HarperCollins India, adds:
“It is rare to come across a novel that is, at once, whip-smart and vulnerable, laugh-out-loud funny and introspective, fiercely feminist and (still) willing to flirt with the genre of the rom-com… We’re so proud to release it.”
Lightning in a Shot Glass
By Deepanjana Pal
📚 Fiction | Paperback | 360 pp | INR 499
📅 Releasing: 10 November 2025
📍 Published by: HarperCollins India
About the Author
Deepanjana Pal is a journalist, columnist, and author of several children’s books, a feminist thriller, and a biography. Known for her sharp wit and keen cultural insight, she has written for Hindustan Times, Film Companion, TimeOut Mumbai, and Newslaundry. She also runs a beloved book newsletter, Dear Reader, and can be found on Instagram as @dpanjana—usually chasing clouds and lightning with her camera.
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