whoisarpit's review against another edition
3.0
A conglomeration of various stories that slowly connect, Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis is a highly subjective book that might not be liked by many, but loved by the few who like it.
The fluidity of the story is something that I grew to love, how the narrative melts between the characters, not clearly pointing out which is which.
I also liked the writing style, although I particularly hated the inconsistency in the writing, some parts written beautifully, but the others could very well be reframed to fit a newspaper article.
The story also got very monotonous during its length, the climax not satisfying enough to compensate for the monotony, which leads to my rating of 3 stars out of 5.
Also, drowsiness seems to have a surprising effect on the reading experience. The drowsier I was, the more interesting it seemed. Perhaps, this isn't a book to be read fully awake.
A suggestion : if you feel like you won't like this book, you probably wouldn't.
The fluidity of the story is something that I grew to love, how the narrative melts between the characters, not clearly pointing out which is which.
I also liked the writing style, although I particularly hated the inconsistency in the writing, some parts written beautifully, but the others could very well be reframed to fit a newspaper article.
The story also got very monotonous during its length, the climax not satisfying enough to compensate for the monotony, which leads to my rating of 3 stars out of 5.
Also, drowsiness seems to have a surprising effect on the reading experience. The drowsier I was, the more interesting it seemed. Perhaps, this isn't a book to be read fully awake.
A suggestion : if you feel like you won't like this book, you probably wouldn't.
thanzeela's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fatamo's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't think much of this book in the first few chapters, but the last part of the book just got progressively better. I think the whole book is structured like an intense drug experience which is brilliant. Dimple is clearly a very jaded person, having been castrated through no choice of her own and 'made' into a woman (there was a grossly euphimistic phrase for it in the book) so that she could be forced into prostitution. I love that the author doesn't try to make you feel sorry for her in the way many authors are guilty of, by painting Dimple in the sorriest colors ever, droning on about the misery of her lot in life and the evils of the people around her. It left so much more to the imagination and Jeet was never guilty of pontificating on social issues.
The structure of the book is like this:
- The events leading up to the nasha ('high'): We learn a bit about the characters, they are still optimistic and relatively innocent. They talk about books, poetry, life in general.
- The first buzz of the nasha: In the early days it was opium dens that ruled Bombay, although their decline was apparent from the very beginning. Nevertheless, most of the story takes place in one particular den, where Dimple tends to the pipe, and customers are plenty.
- The build up to the highest point, where the mind gets lost and wanders into the recesses of memory: Parts of the past lives of the main characters resurface. This part is where it starts to get interesting.
- The comedown: They scrabble to get back to their previous elated states. This is where new drugs enter Bombay, and things get more complicated.
- The 'recovery': The characters are no longer in their altered state of being. They are just themselves, realizing their escape was only fleeting. Disappointment as the world appears even more grim and ugly than when they first took that trip into the opium den.
I'm not sure if this is what the author intended, but that's how I saw it. I think this is a book to be devoured in a very short time, otherwise you won't be able to visualise the themes (or at least I wouldn't have). This is not a plot-driven story. It's more like one crazy-ass dream.
The structure of the book is like this:
- The events leading up to the nasha ('high'): We learn a bit about the characters, they are still optimistic and relatively innocent. They talk about books, poetry, life in general.
- The first buzz of the nasha: In the early days it was opium dens that ruled Bombay, although their decline was apparent from the very beginning. Nevertheless, most of the story takes place in one particular den, where Dimple tends to the pipe, and customers are plenty.
- The build up to the highest point, where the mind gets lost and wanders into the recesses of memory: Parts of the past lives of the main characters resurface. This part is where it starts to get interesting.
- The comedown: They scrabble to get back to their previous elated states. This is where new drugs enter Bombay, and things get more complicated.
- The 'recovery': The characters are no longer in their altered state of being. They are just themselves, realizing their escape was only fleeting. Disappointment as the world appears even more grim and ugly than when they first took that trip into the opium den.
I'm not sure if this is what the author intended, but that's how I saw it. I think this is a book to be devoured in a very short time, otherwise you won't be able to visualise the themes (or at least I wouldn't have). This is not a plot-driven story. It's more like one crazy-ass dream.
nadiafleur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jnfpayne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
shellinancy's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve never been so relieved to finish a book. I felt strongly that this was an exceptional book that I hated reading. Mostly I wanted the whole story to be about Dimple and found the other parts that seems unrelated to her or didn’t include enough of her, disappointing.
gracetreesa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thedoozyreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol
barbarabarbara's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
zaliha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
this was another one of those books that was certainly a ride. There were so many moments in here that I keep thinking of even now almost two years late and that impacted me so greatly while I was sitting in the library reading. This book really accompanied me through a tough time and it was worth every ounce of energy spent on each word.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Animal death, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, Violence, Dysphoria, Death, Addiction, Sexism, Self harm, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Alcohol, and Alcoholism