Starred review from September 19, 2022
In Kapoor’s searing portrait of India at the turn of the 21st century (after Bad Character), finely wrought characters go to great lengths to escape the bonds into which they were born. Ajay, from a desperately poor family and sold into servitude by his mother at eight in 1991, begins working for Sunny Wadia, an unhappy playboy and scion of a powerful family, in 2001. Sunny’s father, Bunty, and mysterious uncle Vicky hold sway over whole swaths of the Indian economy and political landscape. Neda Kapur is a cynical journalist first drawn to Sunny by a corruption story she is writing, but is soon caught in the vortex of Sunny’s lavish lifestyle of endless parties, drugs, and conspicuous consumption facilitated by the ever-present Ajay. Sunny dreams of creating new cities and carving a new path for himself, but he is emasculated by his father’s hold on the family’s empire. As Sunny and his friends’ behavior becomes increasingly reckless, Ajay is made a scapegoat for a shocking fatal car accident, and Neda witnesses in full the ethical morass upon which the Wadias’ success is built. Kapoor’s violent and bitter story is deeply addictive; this spellbinder would be easy to devour in one big gulp, but it’s worth savoring for Neda’s uncompromising take on what she terms India’s “losing age, the age of vice.” The author possesses a talent great enough to match the massive scope of her subject.
Starred review from March 1, 2023
Vidish Athavale gives a master class in narration in Kapoor's (A Bad Character) electrifying saga about the corruption of power. A car crash in New Delhi leaves five dead and a suspect, Ajay, loyal servant of the Wadia family, behind bars. Flashbacks from Ajay's impoverished life introduce Sunny Wadia, a rich, hard-partying playboy who offers Ajay employment; and Neda, an unyielding journalist who catches Sunny's eye. While Ajay moves up in rank to become Sunny's personal assistant, Sunny envisions a plan to move himself out from his father's shadow. Then the accident happens. Every character has a distinct intonation and accent. Athavale seems to relish vocalizing certain supporting characters, such as Vicky Wadia, Sunny's uncle, who oozes with villainy with his deep, purring inflections. Athavale slightly changes the vocalizations of Ajay, Sunny, and Neda as time moves to the present. Ajay's voice is the most altered, as he goes from quiet servant who barely talks, to jaded prisoner. VERDICT It helps that Kapoor's novel, the first in a trilogy, is beyond outstanding with its tale of greed, violence, and discontent. Adding Athavale's narration to this book is like hitting the jackpot. An essential purchase for all libraries.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
