I'm still unsure as to whether this was a biography or a work of fiction... Its an amazing look into the underworld of Bombay (when it was still Bombay), the network of people that penetrate every aspect of the city - the ones who can put a man in jail and pull him out, who arrange for fake identities, smuggle jewels and drugs and guns, fund politicians, freedom fighters and terrorists, own mansions and slums and everything in between.
The story is a man discovering his love for India - not 'Incredible India' that is presented in glossy fliers, with its 'spirituality', 'history' and Bollywood song and dance - but very likely one that most respectable Indians themselves would rarely ever see.
There were parts of the book that I absolutely loved - the life in the slums, the description of the unwritten rules that keep life going there. The description of gang life and the power that the gangs wielded. And then there was the climax - which was sadly lacking. It was tragic - but also painfully unnecessary, and something of a plot device, I felt, a nice way to close all loops and leave the hero still alive. And how convenient that it ties up so nicely with everything going on in Afghanistan today. So an ending that could have been better.
The story is a man discovering his love for India - not 'Incredible India' that is presented in glossy fliers, with its 'spirituality', 'history' and Bollywood song and dance - but very likely one that most respectable Indians themselves would rarely ever see.
There were parts of the book that I absolutely loved - the life in the slums, the description of the unwritten rules that keep life going there. The description of gang life and the power that the gangs wielded. And then there was the climax - which was sadly lacking. It was tragic - but also painfully unnecessary, and something of a plot device, I felt, a nice way to close all loops and leave the hero still alive. And how convenient that it ties up so nicely with everything going on in Afghanistan today. So an ending that could have been better.
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