Novels That Best Capture Mumbai

Penguin Books

Whether you’re wanting an insider’s perspective of The City of Dreams or seeking to view your city from a fresh angle – or perhaps you’re just feeling a bit homesick – we have rounded up some of the finest books that capture life in the ever-changing hub of Mumbai. From colonial-era Bombay to the contemporary, dynamic metropolis it is today, these books do a great job of preserving the spirit of the city.

No God In Sight by Altaf Tyrewala

This has to be the best contemporary Indian writing discovery I made recently. #NoGodInSight#IndianLiterature #English #Contemporary #Literature #AltafTyrewala #Mumbai #SinCity #Melancholy #Literature #Reading #India #IncredibleIndia #Bliss #NerdLife

A photo posted by Swaroopa Deshmukh (@meladygypsy) on May 21, 2016 at 11:52pm PDT

Tales from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry

Love and Longing In Mumbai by Vikram Chandra

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

Set in 1970s-Bombay, this Man Booker Prize Shortlisted novel follows its narrator’s arrival in the city and subsequent entry into its opium underground. The debut novel of established poet and songwriter Jeet Thayil, Narcopolis (2012) draws on the author’s own experiences as a drug addict in Mumbai.

Penguin Books

Lost Flamingoes of Bombay by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi

The outstandingly erudite author of "The Last Song of Dusk", Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi is a participant at ‪#‎TataLitLive2014‬! Who's excited? ‪#‎Author‬ ‪#‎Mumbai‬ ‪#‎Bombay‬ ‪#‎Literature‬ ‪#‎Photography‬ #LastSongOfDusk #LostFlamingoesOfBombay #Writer #Photographer #India #USA #SiddharthShanghvi #Novel #Novelist #Art #Igers #Igersmumbai #Igreads #IndianLit #Festival #NCPA #SouthMumbai

A photo posted by Tata Literature Live! (@tatalitlive) on Oct 12, 2014 at 3:24am PDT

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

St. Martin’s Griffin