edited by Altaf Tyrewala
14 stories, divided into 3 sections, edited by Altaf Tyrewala, that’s Mumbai Noir. A completely different version of the city from the usual grandiose, glamorous ones that most fictional works create, it definitely lives up to the title.
For some reason, I saw more of Bombay in this than the current Mumbai – in terms of the city’s character and how the actions of various people across different stations in life helped create it. Altaf’s introduction sets up the overall tone and feel of the book pretty well, and sensitises us to the stories ahead.
In the first section – Bomb-ay – Riaz Mulla’s take on how ordinary hard working people become pawns in the machinations of global terrorism is an excellent start. Paromita Vohra’s mix of internet and real life ‘romance’ and trust makes ‘The Romantic Customer’ a neat read. Devashish Makhija’s ‘By Two’ is quite surreal and tragic, and Abbas Tyrewala’s “Chachu at Dusk” has to be a contender for my favourite among the stories. It captures the transition from Bombay to Mumbai the best.
In “Dangerous Liaisons”, the second section, both “Nagpada Blues” and “The Body in the Gali” cover the dark underbelly of Mumbai’s crime world very well. Annie Zaidi’s “A suitable girl” is another contender for my favourite for its racy narrative that takes nothing away from the main protagonist’s struggles in Mira Road. TZP is another hard hitting work based on the gay community, and Avtar Singh’s “Pakeezah” provides a poignant end to the section and again reminds one of an earlier version of Bombay’s society.
The third section, quite aptly titled “An Island unto itself” was probably the one that was more generic than the other two. Altaf Tyrewala’s “The Watchman” didn’t really work for me, though Sonia Faleiro’s “Lucky 501” and Namita Devidayal’s “The Egg” were both very interesting works for different reasons. Kalpish Ratna seem to have continued from “The Quarantine Papers” in “At Leopold Cafe”, with Ratan Oak and his ancestor. Another interesting tale. Jerry Pinto’s “They” provided a very satisfactory end to the book with what can be categorised as a thriller, with some wonderful subtext.
In essence, this is a Bombay book that you won’t really regret spending time or money on.
