A Suitable Boy is a novel that is set in post-independence India, where a certain Mrs. Rupa Mehra tries her level best to find an ideal suitor for her nineteen-year-old daughter named Lata. Lata is an extremely independent college girl, who is determined to avoid being pressurized by her mother and her brother, Arun. The story spans over a period of eighteen months and includes four families.

The story shows just how Lata deals with her three suitors, namely Karan, Haresh and Amit. The book also speaks out about various issues that people faced in post-independent India, which include the abolition of the zamindari system, the intense Hindu-Muslim strife, empowerment of Muslim women and land reforms.