The Next Naipaul?

The Village Voice reviews Siddhartha Deb's Surface:

"Deb is a fluid, thoughtful novelist intent on retracing his steps around the periphery of his country—around the very idea of the nation itself. With his intimate portrait of a shattered, neglected landscape, Deb revitalizes a very Naipaulian obsession."

I think that's exactly right. You can also read the author's Columbia Journalism Review article on the Indian media here.