1 of 1 copy available
Today Mumbai is like any other Asian city on the rise, with gigantic construction cranes winding atop upcoming skyscrapers and malls. Right-wing violence, failing electricity and water supplies, overcrowding, and the ever-looming threat of terrorist attacks—these are some of the gruesome realities that Mumbai’s middle and working classes must deal with every day, while the city’s super-rich zip from roof to roof in their private choppers. Abandoned by its wealthy, mistreated by its politicians and administrators, Mumbai continues to thrive primarily because of the helpless resilience of its hardworking, upright citizens.
The stories in Mumbai Noir depict the many ways in which the city’s ever-present shadowy aspects often force themselves onto the lives of ordinary people. What emerges is the sense of a city that, despite its new name and triumphant tryst with capitalism, is yet to heal from the wounds of the communal riots of the 1990s and from all the subsequent acts of havoc wreaked within its precincts by both local and outside forces.
Mumbai Noir features stories by: Annie Zaidi, R. Raj Rao, Abbas Tyrewala, Avtar Singh, Ahmed Bunglowala, Smita Harish Jain, Sonia Faleiro, Altaf Tyrewala, Namita Devidayal, Jerry Pinto, Kalpish Ratna, Riaz Mulla, Paromita Vohra, and Devashish Makhija.
-
Creators
-
Series
-
Publisher
-
Release date
February 28, 2012 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
- ISBN: 9781617751127
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781617751127
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781617751127
- File size: 626 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
January 16, 2012
Most of the 14 short stories in Akashic’s workmanlike Mumbai volume draw inspiration from the criminal networks and the sordid underbelly the city is infamous for. Riaz Mulla’s “Justice,” while lacking nuance, offers a vision of a future beyond the eye-for-eye logic that perpetuates the cycle of violence between Hindus and Muslims. Kalpish Ratna sets “At Leopold Café” right after the 2008 attack by Islamic terrorists on several of Mumbai’s tourist spots, but it’s just as much about times past as times present. Avtar Singh’s “Pakheezah” channels a Bollywood classic by the same name, albeit with less of a happy ending. The book’s best entry, Namita Devidayal’s “The Egg,” is a darkly funny tale about housing societies, taboos, and the impossible Mumbai real estate. While none of the selections is a mystery in the traditional sense, armchair travelers will find plenty of amusement in touring the seedier parts of this island city in perfect safety. -
Starred review from March 1, 2012
In this bleak Long Island anthology, editor Jones (Lies My Mother Never Told Me) uses the American Dream as her overarching theme, a la The Great Gatsby. She divides the volume into four parts: Family Values, Hitting It Big, Love and Other Horrors, and American Dreamers. She has brought in Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Weinman, Nick Mamatas, Richie Narvaez, and others, who each write about their own geographic part of the island. For example, Kenneth Wishnia's "Blood Drive" features a Port Jefferson Station worker desperate to find a new job. An unexpected contributor to this volume is cartoonist Jules Feiffer with his graphic short story set in Southampton, "Boob Noir."
The Mumbai volume, edited by Tyrewala (No God in Sight) is similarly structured and divided into three parts: Bomb-ay, Dangerous Liaisons, and An Island Unto Itself. Tyrewala's insightful introduction greatly enhances the reading experience, and the glossary helps, too. There are PIs--meet Ahmed Bunglowala's Shorty Gomes proving his mettle in "Nagpada Blues." Or for historical context, try Kalpish Ratna's "At Leopold Cafe," which haunts long after the final word. The collection is astonishingly diverse. VERDICT Both volumes are worthy additions to Akashic's stellar series. If you can only buy one, go for Tyrewala's anthology for the experience of sampling brand-new authors and for his superb introduction. It might provide a fictional contrast to Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-