All is not lost with Indian English authors- that is what Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi tries to tell us through his brilliantly drafted "The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay" (LFB). Loosely based on the Jessica Lal murder, LFB is a candid look at the underbelly of Mumbai's high society life through the eyes of a photographer, Karan.
Mr. Shanghvi has a unique way with words- his prose has a lyrical quality to it that flows uninterruptedly like a water stream and takes you, the reader, along with it. His characters are all very well etched out and he brings out their emotions very passionately.
Be it his protagonist, Karan or the gay piano player, Samir, or his actress girl friend Zaira, or Karan's own girlfriend- Rhea- all of them are created in flesh and blood and you start owning them with all their minuses and short comings.
The relationships are unexplained but you can feel the togetherness between Samir and Zaira, Karan and Zaira or Karan and Rhea and you end choked up with emotions when these characters go through tough times. The best part of the narrative is how Bombay itself becomes a character in the book- be it the narrow bylanes of Chor Bazaar or the cozy interiors of Samir's palatial house or the Sewri seaside- Shanghvi's narrative is poetic enough for you to paint a beautiful picture in your minds!
Imaginative writing rooted in realism that reflects today's society and youth- that in a nutshell is what "The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay" is. Need I say more?
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