I always enjoy reading about other countries and cultures. It open my eyes to other ways of thinking, and helps me understand other points of view. This book is certainly an eye opening look into modern India. From the moment you begin reading, you are drawn into the complicated lives and loyalties of the characters and the vast differences created by wealth in India. Kapoor, who is also a journalist, has created a genre bending book that is both crime thriller and epic family saga which follows three characters: Ajay a resourceful servant who was born into poverty, sold into servitude and who rises through the family’s servant ranks. Sunny, the playboy heir who wants to prove his worth to his father no matter the cost. And Neda, a curious journalist, whose progressive principals are first challenged by Sunny’s enormous wealth and later by love and desire.

We are introduced to Ajay, when he is found bleeding and dazed in the driver’s seat of a very expensive car on the side of the road at midnight. The car had plowed its way through a group of people who regularly slept alongside the road, and killed several people including a child. Ajay is arrested and sent to prison, but even the police are confused about why a servant would have been driving such an expensive car on his own in the middle of the night. The rest of the novel tells the complicated backstory of how Ajay ended up in that place at that time.

Written with great sensitivity and nuance, Kapoor helps us understand  the loyalties and desires that drive these characters. In the process she raises provocative questions about unbridled wealth, unquestioning service to others, and the ways love and desire can cloud our judgement. I certainly hope to hear more from this amazing writer!

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Ken, Keith, Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Yes!

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