On the whole the group enjoyed this book. It tells the tale of Nariman, an elderly gentleman, who lives with his step-children in their large, but crumbling apartment in Bombay. His beloved daughter, Roxanne, lives with her husband and two sons in a small, but comfortable flat across town.

When Nariman suffers a fall, his step-children reluctantly undertake the task of caring for him, but this soon proves too much and they conive to 'dump' him on Roxanne, thus creating tension and hardship in her home.

Nariman's relationship with his children is difficult to say the least; flashbacks explain the source of this tension. Interspersed between episodes of family drama are amusing sequences of the outside world, political and religious insights and the larger than life characters that inhabit this wonderful city. The language was a delight as well, Mistry's 'colonial' style English in his dialogue was amusing in itself.

This is a longish book that went a little 'soggy' in the middle but those of use who persevered were rewarded with an affecting, humorus account of family relationships, regret and love. The readers feels a deep affinity with Bombay, without being spared the sometimes unpleasant reality.

Well recommended.

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