The much anticipated second novel from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of The White Tiger is as thought-provoking as his first. Set in an old apartment block in twenty-first century Mumbai, this is the story of its residents, a delightfully vivid cast of characters who, for the most part, get along. The occupants of Tower A of the Vishram Co-operative Housing Society are a diverse lot, but they pride themselves on their good character and are the envy of other housing societies in Mumbai.

But Mumbai is changing. A boom in property development is turning the city into a mecca for well-heeled Indians returning from the West and, with increased demand for flashy new condominiums, property and land prices are going through the roof.

Notorious property developer Dharmen Shah is one of the big players on the scene, and when he sets his sights on the Vishram Society, he agrees to pay the residents handsomely if they move out. At first, some are reluctant. The bonds they have built with one another compel them to stay. Some of the older residents are worried about moving out of their comfortably familiar surroundings and into potentially inhospitable surrounds. But as the allure of big money becomes irresistible, one by one they succumb, either of their own accord or through their neighbours’ persuasion.

Only one man stands apart. Masterji, a retired schoolteacher, is adamant that he will not leave. Memories of his recently deceased wife and long-dead daughter fill his tiny apartment, and no amount of money will make him leave. And if he doesn’t agree to leave, the developer can’t have the building. As Masterji rejects all the developer’s advances, his previously respectful, now frustrated, neighbours decide to take matters into their own hands. But how far will they go to persuade Masterji to agree?

Kabita Dhara is acting editor of Readings Monthly.