Maximum City Suketu Mehta

The title tage for Maximum City by Suketu Mehta is “Bombay Lost and Found.” This is an extremely well written ( Mehtu is a Pulitzer Prize finalist ) and interesting book written from the perspective of someone who used to live there, moved to the United States and then returned years later.

In the first part of the book Mehta describes returning to Bombay and the process of finding an apartment and fitting in.

This is made particularly difficult due to the Renter’s Act. This meant that landlord’s could not raise rents so they would refuse to do any repairs in the hope that the tenant would move out.

The book is divided into three parts. In each Mehtu explores Bombay ( Mumbai ) through the lives of a variety of people from all walks of life. The three sections are titled Power, Pleasure and Passages.

Mehta introduces us to life in Bombay seen through the eyes of a huge cast of characters.

These range from street level mafia enforcers, murderers and hit men, mafia bosses who control huge sections of the city, politicians and Bollywood producers to an incorruptible police chief and other policemen who kill criminals because of a corrupt and stagnant judiciary.

Mehta also looks at the bar and sex scene in Bombay. This is done through his contact and friendship with a very popular dancing girl. We see life in Bombay through her eyes.

There is also Honey who is a dancer as well, but is actually a married man.

Mehta doesn’t just interview these people, he spends a considerable amount of time with them, often befriending them. His descriptions of their lives and the strata of Bombay society from the poorest to the richest gives the reader a fascinating picture of what makes Bombay tick.

Mehta really captures the heart and soul of this city and his brilliant, vivid and often gripping writing makes this a must read for anyone interested in one of the world’s largest and most diverse cities.