In a dystopian Indian future, Ma, her father Dadu and her toddler Mishti are a week away from departing to America. Where Baba, Ma’s husband, awaits them. Having a new job overseas allows them to escape the famine. All they need are their passports and to survive the remaining days, with what little food they have. Unfortunately Ma stole the provisions from a shelter she worked at. Unbeknownst to her Boomba, a shelter resident, saw her. It all comes to a head when he burglarizes their home to sell the eggs he saw her pocket. Boomba unknowingly takes the passports they need when he steals her purse, leaving them in a rut. The plane tickets are already purchased. Determined to give Mishti a better life, they will do anything necessary to track down the thief and find their travel documents.
The book covers their misadventures in a desperate country, where morality goes out the window. Hunger overcoming ethics. Both the family and Boomba face endless hardships endeavoring to survive. Climate change leads to the rapid deterioration of India. The environment, once lush and fertile, is now an every man for himself war zone.
Spoiler:
Disparaging books is not my m.o, thus I don’t give them ratings. However, was everyone who recommended this freebasing crack? I wish I never started or finished this story. It left me angry for being a colossal waste of my time. Time I’ll never get back, spent reading this. The characters were completely unlikable and stupid. Making poor decision, after poor decision. Things that could’ve easily been resolved were handled terribly. Once Ma got the camera footage of the thief, she could’ve gone back to the cops. Who didn’t believe her because she didn’t have proof. She also could’ve used this line on Boomba when he threatened her.
Boomba squandered opportunities continuously. Why would you steal packages as a delivery man? Thinking you’d never get caught? Losing your paying job? He has no education, didn’t know any other place besides India, or what a passport was. Just a dumbass. Not for nothing, but they should’ve just killed him when he became a nuisance. Ain’t nobody was looking for him. He was homeless. The fuck you mean you’re staying in my storeroom? I’m not finna do the back and forth with you. Talking about leave the house to him, when he didn’t hold up his half of the bargain by returning the passports. Even then the answer is fuck no. Also Mishti was annoying.
There were way too many holes in the plot. How would Baba be unaware that flights from India were canceled through the news, if the mobbing of the billionaires island was an international story? Why weren’t the passengers alerted prior to heading to the airport? Why weren’t they refunded? Why didn’t Ma wait until the neighbor came back to confront Boomba’s family? How would the dad think she’s a liar if she knew his son’s name? This book pissed me clear off. Terrible, sloppy, rushed. Via: National Book
