KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) A novel by Keene State College professor Brinda Charry is gaining national recognition, earning a prestigious literary prize that places her in the company of some of America’s best-known writers.

Charry’s debut work of historical fiction, “The East Indian,” has been awarded the 2025 James Fenimore Cooper Prize by the Society of American Historians, according to a news release from the college. The biennial honor, which comes with a $2,000 award, recognizes historical novels that bring new depth and authenticity to the American story. Previous winners include literary figures like Jane Smiley, Philip Roth, and Tim O’Brien.

Set in the early days of Colonial America, The East Indian traces the journey of a young boy from coastal India who is swept into the tides of global trade and colonial expansion. His path takes him from his Tamil village to London and, ultimately, to the tobacco fields of Virginia, where he finds himself among an unlikely mix of enslaved Africans and indentured Britons. The novel has drawn praise for its vivid narrative and for offering what prize judges called “a new origin story” for America.

Charry, who moved to Keene in 2005 and teaches early modern British literature and creative writing at the college, said the book reflects her interest in the global roots of American history.

“I tried to write a story that is global in its reach and scope, even as it is very much a local story – it is from such convergences that America was born,” she said in the release. “I find the judges’ comment that The East Indian functions as ‘a new origin story’ for America particularly gratifying. I hope to be able to continue telling such stories.”

Born and raised in India, Charry earned her doctorate at Syracuse University. She has long been recognized in academic circles for her scholarship on Shakespeare and the English Renaissance, but The East Indian marks her breakout into the literary world. The novel has already been shortlisted for the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and India’s Crossword Book Prize, and longlisted for both the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award and the JCB Prize, one of India’s top literary honors.

The Society of American Historians, which was founded in 1939 to promote literary excellence in historical writing, described Charry’s novel as “an exquisite and moving” picaresque tale that captures the sweeping forces that shaped early America.

Charry said the recognition has been deeply gratifying. “I hope to be able to continue telling such stories,” she said.

This year’s other SAH honorees include historian James Grossman, author Jon Grinspan, and scholar Joshua Lappen, each recognized for distinguished work that brings history to a broad audience.

Charry continues to live and write in Keene while teaching at the college.