Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

This is the fifth Mann Booker 2012 longlist book that I have read--such fun to read them all, but a challenge when they are not all published in the US.  Sometimes I find the books too cerebral, long on writing style and somewhat disappointing in terms of plot development and conclusion.  This one does not dissapoint.

The book takes place largely in Bombay over the course of several decades, opening in the 1970's and closing in the early 21st century.  The story is firmly entrenched in the seamier side of the city--the opium dens of the '70's give way to heroin in the new century.  Word has it that the reason that the author is so spot on in his descriptions of drug intoxication and it's subsequent addiction is that he walked that walk and talked that talk for a very long time, finally kicking his own habit about the time that the book is closing.  It is a wonderful hazy and alluring description of how easily people can slip into such a life.

The other aspect of Bombay in the book is the sex industry--our favorite is Dimple, who is a eunuch with breasts.  We do not get to see inside Dimple's head, but we do hear a lot about how he is particularly attractive to men, and why that might be.  Of all the characters in the book, I found him the most sympathetic, but I enjoyed the romp through Bombay's underbelly.