Last Man in Tower
ABOUT
THE BOOK
21st Century Mumbai is a city of new money and soaring real estate, and property kingpin Dharmen Shah has grand plans for its future. His offer to buy and tear down a weathered tower block, making way for luxury apartments, will make each of its residents rich – if all agree to sell. But not everyone wants to leave; many of the residents have lived there for a lifetime, many of them are no longer young. As tensions rise among the once civil neighbours, one by one those who oppose the offer give way to the majority, until only one man stands in Shah’s way: Masterji, a retired schoolteacher, once the most respected man in the building. Shah is a dangerous man to refuse, but as the demolition deadline looms, Masterji’s neighbours – friends who have become enemies, acquaintances turned co-conspirators – may stop at nothing to score their payday…
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
A future prime building site is about to be developed. At present occupied by a Mumbai building society, its tenants are offered generous recompense by the builder and his “left-hand” man. All accept the offer except Yogesh A. Murthy, a former teacher (Masterji), who is consequently persuaded to do so by increasingly doubtful means by members of his own building society.