A Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor

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A Bad Character My rating:

This debut novel by Deepti Kapoor reflects on Indian culture and its paradoxical stance with regard to womanhood. The protagonist, a respectable unmarried young lady, gets secretly involved with an older man. The book starts the moment he gets killed, and all that is left is a story to recount.

In my view, the title refers mainly to the heroin of the book, "A bad character" by Indian standards. That is "old India", of course. The book depicts, through the adventures of this raw and sometimes feral young woman in Delhi, how the country is at a captivating crossroads where old and new mingle, irreversibly intertwine against their own wills, pushing both forwards and backwards at orthogonal angles, neither being quite able to prevent, ignore or subdue the other.

This is an intense book, with an original, rich, and intriguing writing style. I can still smell the spices and feel the vibes of colourful Indian night-life.

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