Discuss “Lara’s Theme”, by Madhuri Vijay

[We meet every Sunday after a new New Yorker magazine is published.]

Greetings, Fictioneers!

On Sunday, November 23rd, 2025 at 4 pm CST/5 pm EST/3 pm MST/2 pm PST, on Zoom, we will discuss the New Yorker Fiction story from the issue dated November 24th, 2025: “Lara’s Theme”, by Madhuri Vijay. Her last New Yorker story, “You Are My Dear Friend”, was published before this group started.

Reader/listener beware: it is among the longest stories of the year.

1. R• 1. Read “Lara’s Theme”” at this link. Try a private or incognito window if blocked by the New Yorker's paywall or through the Libby app via your local public library “card”.
2. Want to listen to it? Use the “Listen to this story” audio module on the story page (61 minutes at 1x speed) or at this link (1:03:20 with intro and ad(s)).
3. An author interview, “Madhuri Vijay on the Need to Feel Exceptional” is at this link.

"Madhuri Vijay is an Indian author living in Hawaii. She is the author of The Far Field, which won the second JCB Prize for literature, India's most prestigious literary award.
Early life
Vijay was born and grew up in Bangalore, India. In 2009, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Lawrence University, where she studied psychology and English. After graduation, she received a Watson Fellowship, which took her to South Africa, Malaysia, and Tanzania while studying people from India living in foreign lands. After the fellowship, she left to attend the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Writing
Her debut novel on Kashmir, The Far Field, won the JCB Prize for literature, considered the highest literary award in India. Vijay said she was surprised that the book was even published in India, where publishers were reluctant to take it on due to the "current climate in the country."
She is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize and has been longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Her writing has appeared in The Best American Nonrequired Reading, Narrative Magazine and Salon, among other publications. Her short story "You Are My Dear Friend", published in the 17 August 2020, issue of The New Yorker, was also included in The Best American Short Stories 2021.
Personal life
As of 2019, Vijay lives in Hawaii, where she teaches English.
- from Wikipedia English's Madhuri_Vijay page , footnote marks and most links removed.