Happy new year everyone! And last but not least in my run-down of my favourite books of this year, a book that takes you straight to the heart of the sights, sounds and smells of Mumbai…
Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga
Property magnate Dharmen Shah is ready to knock down a block of flats in Mumbai to build new, luxury ones. One by one, he buys out all the existing residents – except one – the stubborn Masterji…
There are a lot of characters in this novel, but the plot is very simple. It is a story of greed, pride, corruption, and much more, and what I think makes the story so clever is that you find yourself siding with the bad guys at times, and getting hugely frustrated with the ‘good’ guys! The novel still has a real humour to it, and the characters have their own distinctive personalities.
As well as the diverse cast of characters, I also loved the Mumbai setting, A real winner of a novel.