by Manil Suri
First published 2002
Vishnu sprawls on the lowest landing of a cramped Bombay apartment building, his body failing as residents step around him. The sick man drifts between memories of childhood and his first love while his soul begins separating from his flesh, ascending the stairs toward supernatural light. Above him, tenants pursue their schemes. Some live in actual apartments while others have claimed spaces in the stairwell itself. Caste thinking dominates their actions as neighbors justify their shocking selfishness to themselves. They dream of climbing to higher social positions while displaying petty fears and base motives. Around them, extreme poverty collides with religious conflicts in a country where contradictions exist in pure form. Children play in sewers while princesses live in palaces. The building becomes a microcosm where the very poor struggle alongside the slightly less poor. Suri explores whether poverty makes people cruel, whether religion drives their behavior, or whether shattered dreams alone explain their callousness.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, social-issues
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, social-commentary
Setting: Bombay
Period: contemporary
398 pages · Paperback · Btb Bei Goldmann