Ask any Bombaywallah about Vishram Society - Tower A of the Vishram Co-operative Housing Society - and you will be told that it is unimpeachably pucca. Despite its location close to the airport, under the flight path of 747s and bordered by slums, it has been pucca for some fifty years. But Bombay has changed in half a century - not least its name - and the world in which Tower A was first built is giving way to a new city; a Mumbai of development and new money; of wealthy Indians returning with fortunes made abroad. When real estate developer Dharmen Shah offers to buy out the residents of Vishram Society, planning to use the site to build a luxury apartment complex, his offer is more than generous. Initially, though, not everyone wants to leave; many of the residents have lived in Vishram for years, many of them are no longer young. But none can benefit from the offer unless all agree to sell. As tensions rise among the once civil neighbours, one by one those who oppose the offer give way to the majority, until only one man stands in Shah's way: Masterji, a retired schoolteacher, once the most respected man in the building.
Shah is a dangerous man to refuse, but as the demolition deadline looms, Masterji's neighbours - friends who have become enemies, acquaintances turned co-conspirators - may stop at nothing to score their payday. A suspense-filled story of money and power, luxury and deprivation; a rich tapestry peopled by unforgettable characters, not least of which is Bombay itself, Last Man in Tower opens up the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of a great city - ordinary people pushed to their limits in a place that knows none.
TW: Dead Animals, Murder Attempts, General Assholery.
I have not read any of the author's previous work. Given the reviews, I'll look out for White Tiger. But Last Man in Tower? Eh....
I finished it. I can't say I liked it or hated it though. It's all discomforting and the ending is fucked up in my opinion. I totally hope it went another way but I guess that was too optimistic.
Notes While Listening:
Rupee conversions
Gentrification as "slum clearing"
Omfg why the dead decapitated cat?
Interesting but dry.
What am I listening to?
Oh god, his daughter....
How is there five hours left?
Holy shit, this is fucked up.
Make him help people!!
"Her voice always has its knickers down:"
OMFG the dog!
"Nothing can stop a living thing that wants to be free"....besides death.
Reading updates
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29 May, 2018:
Reviewed
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Started reading
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Finished reading
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29 May, 2018:
Reviewed