Book review: 'Mumbaistan'

Book: Mumbaistan
Author: Piyush Jha
Publisher: Rupa
Rating: ***

Crime fiction is a largely unexplored genre in Indian writing in English. And Mumbaistan seems to be debutant author Piyush Jha's effort towards filling the gap between demand and supply. The plots of the three novellas in the book are full of twists and turns and, at times, appear unapologetically filmi.

Jha uses Mumbai as the karmbhoomi for his characters who are as colourful as they come. Prostitutes, gangsters, terrorists and policemen seek everything from love and sex to revenge and redemption. And in the process, they either find themselves or get lost on the teeming streets of the metropolis.

Bomb Day revolves around a top cop who arm-twists a reformed gangster to exploit the mastermind's moll. The idea is to enter the inner circle of Pakistani terrorists waiting to blow up the city's nerve centre. The moll ends up being caught in the crossfire while the cop only cares about saving his beloved Mumbai. In Injectionwala, a reluctant vigilante is manipulated by the woman he loves. She wants him to rid the medical fraternity of corrupt doctors and officials operating an illegal trade in human organs.

Coma Man is about a victim of communal riots who wakes up from a coma after 19 years and finds that everything around him has changed. As he sets out to find his wife and the life he had before the riots, he discovers who he was and who his true friends really are.

Jha knows his Mumbai well and sets the stories not just around popular landmarks but also around little-explored areas like the city's cemeteries or the mill areas in Central Mumbai. Mumbaistan is as pulpy as they come and fans of the genre may even find it un-put-downable. A definite read for those looking for thrilling page-turners.