I bought this book solely on the review in WaPo (Washington Post), which called it a "masterpiece." That is not a word that is used very often in book reviews. So I was very excited to get my hands on this one. This was my BOTM selection for February and I dove right into it upon its arrival. It started off on a promising note, but quickly died a slow death after about page 125. The first 125 pages deal with the Ajay, the main character in the novel. It follows his upbringing and eventually his meeting with Sunny, a notorious criminal, whose father is a truly horrible and dangerous man, feared by almost everyone in India.

Then it begins its slow decline into boring, tedious storytelling. The author feels it necessary to follow the story of a newspaper reporter who gets romantically and professionally involved with Sunny. I can understand how one wants to bring in a new character, so she can have a relationship with Sunny. This will demonstrate that Sunny is more than just a bad guy. I get that. But the author finds it necessary to drone on and on and on about these two for over 150 pages without another mention of the main character, Ajay. It was if I was reading two different books. One a romance, and one a crime novel. BTW - I hate romance books. Not a good sign.

What started out like a Don Winslow crime novel, turned into a boring story that lost its way. I lost all interest in all the characters, especially the news reporter. Eventually, I gave up. What a shame. Sometimes, the thought of the vacation is actually better than the vacation itself. That is how I describe this book. The promise was there, it simply failed to deliver. ( )

This is a long book set in India in the early 2000s. Ajay as a child witnessed the death of his father, followed by being sold into servitude. Eventually he was recognized as a loyal hard worker and came to be employed by Sunny Wadia, the son of a powerful, corrupt businessman. As a valued Wadia employee, he came to be part of an enviable lifestyle. One of his duties to Sunny was transporting Neda, a journalist, to wherever Sunny was.

A car crash with fatalities upends their lives in unimagined ways with Ajay at the epicenter of prison violence and treachery. Ajay continues to search for his mother and sister who were left behind when he was sold. There is heartbreak in his search.

This is a novel of organized crime in India and also a family saga. India is seen as a multi-layered country with pockets of great poverty and families with generations of wealth and status. ( )

So I got 37% into this book, and the the horrible indecisiveness over tense finally won. I just couldn't go on anymore.

The story, in and of itself, was intriguing; the characters were unmemorable and really not a one was worth investing anymore of my time in.

The 3 stars were given for the vivid descriptions of India, and the different caste systems and the way they were treated.

I may go back at some point and try again, but I do know I won't be reading anymore of this Author. ( )

Ajay's story and the world building were wonderful. The mystery lacked suspense and I became disinterested by the time we switched to the first alternate perspective. Large chunks of the book felt unnecessary to the story and by the end I felt I was trudging through quicksand trying to complete the book. I lost interest in the plot and characters and had no one to root for or feel invested in. ( )

I am going to skip the star rating. Made it to page 124 and called it. I found the prose overwrought and there is no subtlety at all in the storyline (I also was not crazy about the structure, but I can't really say what bugged me.) Everything that happens is utterly plot driven, people's actions are what are need to move the story where Kapoor wants it to go, and are never actions we understand based upon what little we know about the characters. Also, everything is on the page - there is no room for imagination. It reminded me of reading Dan Brown (not a compliment) but the Indian version. It was just 100% not interesting to me and there are plenty of other books to read. I am in the tiny minority, people seem to love this, but I call 'em as I see 'em.