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Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil - 3* - My Review

“Bombay, which obliterated its own history by changing its name and surgically altering its face, is the hero or heroin of this story, and since I’m the one who’s telling it and you don’t know who I am, let me say that we’ll get to the who of it but not right now, because now there’s time enough not to hurry, to light the lamp and open the window to the moon and take a moment to dream of a great and broken city, because when the day starts its business I’ll have to stop, these are night-time tales that vanish in sunlight, like vampire dust…”

This book is set in the opium dens of Bombay/Mumbai in the 1970s-1990s, where people are living in poverty and attempting to cope through use of drugs. This novel is written in an atmospheric, flowing style, with long sentences that somehow seem appropriate for the subject matter. It explores different forms of escape. It portrays life in the slums in a non-linear fashion from various characters’ perspectives. There is not much of a plot. It touches on religion, art, class differences, and exploitation. It is an interrelated patchwork of stories that meld together. It reflects boredom and lack of hope as reasons people have turned to drugs, and the false “comfort” and chaotic life that results. The author depicts the squalid conditions of the drug community, populated by whores, pimps, thieves, dealers, and addicts. The drugs take their toll – opium sickness, health issues, and lives cut short. Rehab and relapse are also part of the narrative. The lyrical writing makes it apparent that the author is a poet. It feels hypnotic and dreamlike. It is a weird combination of unpleasant content and beautiful prose.

PBT Steeplechase - tagged "addiction" x6:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

PBT April BWF Extra N/T - fits letters not tag