If you think you might be in the mood for a 900+ page book on the seedy underside of life in Bombay, I've got two for you to consider - Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra and Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. If forced to choose between the two (and, really, who needs to read nearly 2,000 pages on this particular topic?), I'd recommend Sacred Games. The shifts in time and perspective can be confusing, especially at first when the reader is also forced to cope with several non-English words in every paragraph (fewer than half of which are defined in the less-than-helpful glossary.) However, as one catches on that most of these terms are variations on "buttfuck" or "(insert relative) fucker", a fascinating story emerges about the professional and spiritual trials of an underworld kingpin and the mid-level policeman tracking him down (sort of). The characters are complex and the plot is compelling enough to maintain interest throughout most of this impressive novel.
Shantaram starts strong, retelling the semi-autobiographical tale of its amazing author which begins with his escape from prison in Australia and flight to India to avoid serving time for a drug-induced murder (this book was actually written while the author was in jail completing this sentence, which may go some way to explaining its extraordinary length.) The main character is refreshingly humble and non-macho and the writing is terrific. Unfortunately, about 2/3 of the way through, he ends up involved in armed conflict in Afghanistan and, I don't know, the book just lost me after that. I finished it, but the emotional richness it began with seemed to generate into a bad Rambo knock-off by the end. Still, the first part is so good that it might still be worth a go.
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