Mumbai has been the heartthrob of many a story tellers. Each painting up the canvas of this Maya Nagari in their own light with their own instruments. Bollywood has been the torch bearer in this race, and with the recent revival of Indian English writers, the literary work hasn't been much behind.
More than the glamour and the glass facades which entice many a naive souls to this city, the artists celebrate the dark underbelly that actually keeps the engine of this megapolis going. From Maximum City to Narcopolis to Shantaram, all critically acclaimed literary achievements have basked in celebrating the underbelly which we so much abhor on the surface. Mumbaistan is one more addition to their tribe.
Piyush Jha, true to his Bollywood style, has woven stories of the city's underbelly like a true Bollywood potboiler. Anyone who has spared some moments of his life traversing the metropolis, will have live images running down his eyes as he devours the lines penned by the writer. As for the others, the writer has thrown in enough description to form a workable image of the entire setting.
The novel traverses through three different stories -- Bombday, Injectionwala, The Coma Man. Each of the story eulogises the lost ethos of the city. The edge of the seat thrillers would make you refuse to rest the book down unless you have reached the end of the story.
Bomb day, as is evident from the name, takes the reader in the murky prostitution -- terrorism -- crime branch -- underworld mashups, A few steps away from the end, you kind of know who the terrorist is, however I have only adulations for Piyush Jha for the way he manages to keep the reader hooked. Though, I must admit that the revelation at the very end was an unnecessary addition and according to me didn't serve any purpose.
Injectionwala is a story of a vigilante laced with sexual romps and a commendable police investigation procedures' description. However, it was the worst of the three. The end was sudden and without any hints. The revelation is plain and kind of leaves your sense of thrill betrayed.
However, the crown comes with the final read --- that of "The Coma Man". As the name suggests, it makes the reader travel along with the protagonist from Navi Mumbai to Bandra to Colaba with their stark contrasts very magnificently written. The supporting role that of a politician is more intriguing as you keep wondering if his character has been painted black or white. The end though was quite obvious after you had read through the two preceding stories. However till then the author does a laudable job to keep the reader hooked through the pages.
Simple language, simple story telling, an elaborate though still limited description and an edge of the seat story telling, the book is surely going to be your money's worth. However, for all looking to find another Shantaram or Maximum City, please look elsewhere. The book is meant to evoke thrill and does that just fine. It uses the sharp contrasting characteristics of the city to deliver the story and makes a decent attempt at that. The best part of the book is that it does not take sides. Unlike the other books which so much celebrate the underbelly while condemning the affluence, the book just steers clear of that.
There aren't much shortcomings, though a few grammatical errors were spotted. Also, the author tends to paint one gender in a typical way, which if had been different could have had some better effect.
To surmise, if you are looking towards simple thrillers without having to remember a lot -- the book does a good job.
More than the glamour and the glass facades which entice many a naive souls to this city, the artists celebrate the dark underbelly that actually keeps the engine of this megapolis going. From Maximum City to Narcopolis to Shantaram, all critically acclaimed literary achievements have basked in celebrating the underbelly which we so much abhor on the surface. Mumbaistan is one more addition to their tribe.
Piyush Jha, true to his Bollywood style, has woven stories of the city's underbelly like a true Bollywood potboiler. Anyone who has spared some moments of his life traversing the metropolis, will have live images running down his eyes as he devours the lines penned by the writer. As for the others, the writer has thrown in enough description to form a workable image of the entire setting.
The novel traverses through three different stories -- Bombday, Injectionwala, The Coma Man. Each of the story eulogises the lost ethos of the city. The edge of the seat thrillers would make you refuse to rest the book down unless you have reached the end of the story.
Bomb day, as is evident from the name, takes the reader in the murky prostitution -- terrorism -- crime branch -- underworld mashups, A few steps away from the end, you kind of know who the terrorist is, however I have only adulations for Piyush Jha for the way he manages to keep the reader hooked. Though, I must admit that the revelation at the very end was an unnecessary addition and according to me didn't serve any purpose.
Injectionwala is a story of a vigilante laced with sexual romps and a commendable police investigation procedures' description. However, it was the worst of the three. The end was sudden and without any hints. The revelation is plain and kind of leaves your sense of thrill betrayed.
However, the crown comes with the final read --- that of "The Coma Man". As the name suggests, it makes the reader travel along with the protagonist from Navi Mumbai to Bandra to Colaba with their stark contrasts very magnificently written. The supporting role that of a politician is more intriguing as you keep wondering if his character has been painted black or white. The end though was quite obvious after you had read through the two preceding stories. However till then the author does a laudable job to keep the reader hooked through the pages.
Simple language, simple story telling, an elaborate though still limited description and an edge of the seat story telling, the book is surely going to be your money's worth. However, for all looking to find another Shantaram or Maximum City, please look elsewhere. The book is meant to evoke thrill and does that just fine. It uses the sharp contrasting characteristics of the city to deliver the story and makes a decent attempt at that. The best part of the book is that it does not take sides. Unlike the other books which so much celebrate the underbelly while condemning the affluence, the book just steers clear of that.
There aren't much shortcomings, though a few grammatical errors were spotted. Also, the author tends to paint one gender in a typical way, which if had been different could have had some better effect.
To surmise, if you are looking towards simple thrillers without having to remember a lot -- the book does a good job.
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