The Radiance of Ashes - Cyrus Mistry

This is my second in the series of 3 Mumbai novels. I am giving some details about the book for the readers who wish to check him out.

Publisher : Picador
Price : 275 INR
Pages : 469

Jingo is a Parsi wastral and a drifter living in Mumbai. His parents are solid middle class but our Jingo has this wish to write a book. All those amongst us who have such literary ambitions know the feeling of sad bile that rises up from the pit of our stomachs when we hear that line. I want to write a book too, but where is the story, where is time, who will publish it, who will read it. It is almost like the most common, most self defeating ambitions of all.


But Jingo, our man here, works for a market research firm and makes a meagre living tramping the corners of the city asking the common people their views on soaps and toothpastes. The story rises up from his peregrinations in the city in a tidal wave and nearly drowns him.


The novel was born of an award winning short story that the author wrote, which appears in the novel as a prologue. It begins with the meeting between Jingo and Jillamai, the mother of an old classmate of Jingo, who disappeared some time back. Jillamai requests Jingo to help her seek her son. This story is more like the coming of age - albeit a little late- of Jingo. How he comes to terms with life. The people he hobnobs with, and learns about life from, belong firmly to the lowest common denominator.

Sacred Games was a lofty canvas, dealing with the God and the Devil (sometimes they can be the same person).

The Radiance of Ashes has no such pretensions. It is simply about the life of people, the cops and robbers are the same here, preoccupied with self gain. The losers here are the people who are displaced, disgraced and sometimes dealt with death. No novel about Mumbai is complete without a report of the unrest the city has faced. This novel too deals with those events. But from the perspective of the common man.

The cover of the book is very artistic (as my friend Ajaybir pointed out). More importantly, the language is exquisite. If you like reading literary books, go for it. Do not look for timepass racy stuff here.

Take care and keep smiling :)