Born in Delhi, India, he immigrated to the United States when he was eight,[1] and grew up in Edison, New Jersey, where he graduated from J.P. Stevens High School.

[9] David Sedaris noted that "[e]very page is alive and surprising, proof of [Sharma’s] huge, unique talent."

[11][12] He shares office space with the writers John Wray, Isaac Fitzgerald, and Alice Sola Kim.

[13] He and Wray had previously been part of an informal writing group that includes Gary Shteyngart, Suketu Mehta, and Ray Isle.

[14] In July 2017, Norton published Sharma's collection of short stories, A Life of Adventure and Delight.