Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

by Suketu Mehta

book data

1,093 ratings, 3.87 average rating, 226 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		27%
4		40%
3		24%
2		6%
1		1%

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published

September 27th 2005 by Vintage (first published 2004)

details

Paperback, 560 pages

isbn

0375703403 (isbn13: 9780375703409)

description

A native of Bombay, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider’s view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us in…more

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Dec 02, 2007

John rated it:

bookshelves: social-commentary

Read in December, 2007

I toyed with creating a new category for this book: "Nonfiction Stranger Than Fiction." But no. Some of the stories and experiences of people that this book chronicles do seem very far-fetched (say, to mention just one out of several dozen, the former newspaper cartoonist who becomes boss of one of the strongest Hindu fundamentalist parties in the country – an Indian Rush Limbaugh – and who provokes some of the most violent riots in the country’s history.) But it is all believ...more I toyed with creating a new category for this book: "Nonfiction Stranger Than Fiction." But no. Some of the stories and experiences of people that this book chronicles do seem very far-fetched (say, to mention just one out of several dozen, the former newspaper cartoonist who becomes boss of one of the strongest Hindu fundamentalist parties in the country – an Indian Rush Limbaugh – and who provokes some of the most violent riots in the country’s history.) But it is all believable once you recognize that the world is a far meaner, violent, corrupt, or at least a far different place than one would probably imagine living in one of the wealthier countries on the planet.

Although the Maximum City of the title is Bombay, this book is also - and I would say primarily - about poverty, more precisely, the extremes of existence that poverty creates; extremes of tolerance and intolerance, violence and benevolence, community and isolation. Even in chapters that do not directly deal with poverty, such as the excellent chapter on the Indian film industry, the desperate masses are never far from the author’s focal point.

One of my dozen-or-so favorite episodes from this book is "Adjust," a passage about the Bombay train system. Toward the end of this section, a man whose job it is to monitor communal violence and religious flare-ups within the Bombay slums - in short, someone who regularly sees some of the worst aspects of humanity - is asked if he is pessimistic about the human race. He responds "Not at all.... Look at the hands from the train." He is referring to all of the hands that stretch out of the train cars when someone is running alongside the train car, reaching to pull you in. It is one of several very beautiful passages, and all I can do is quote from it at length:

“Your fellow passengers, already packed tighter than cattle are legally allowed to be, their shirts already drenched in sweat in the badly ventilated compartments, having stood like this for hours, retain an empathy for you, know that your boss might yell at you or cut your pay if you miss the train, and will make space where none exists to take one more person with them. And at the moment of contact, they do not know if the hand that is reaching for theirs belongs to a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Brahmin or untouchable …. All they know is that you are trying to get to the city of gold, and that’s enough.”
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Sep 02, 2007

Suresh rated it:

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: Indophiles Travel readers history buffs south-asian enthusiasts and watchers

I had heard about the book for a while now but just managed to pick the book few months ago at the airport during a business trip.

I loved the book mostly because I am from bombay as well and just like Suketu, I have moved to Bombay and back few times in my life. Everything in the book was very real for me and there were times when it felt like he literally took words out of my mouth. I would highly recommend this book to Indophiles, Travel readers and even history buffs. There are f...more I had heard about the book for a while now but just managed to pick the book few months ago at the airport during a business trip.

I loved the book mostly because I am from bombay as well and just like Suketu, I have moved to Bombay and back few times in my life. Everything in the book was very real for me and there were times when it felt like he literally took words out of my mouth. I would highly recommend this book to Indophiles, Travel readers and even history buffs. There are few things I would like to critique about this book :

A) I think the author's style of writing comes too close to V.S.Naipaul's style and he admits in the prologue that he did prepare for ths book by reading lots of V.S.Naipaul. I am not totally turned off by it because VS Naipaul happens to be one of my favorite authors too but it may be off-putting for other readers.

B) At about two thirds into the book I suddenly developed fatigue and found myself skipping pages and sections till I found something that picked up my interest. For example I found it bit tiring when he goes on and on about the bar girls and at times the narrative became extremely draggy.
I then jumped to the bollywood sections and the momentum picked up.

C) The mood of the book swings wildy from humor to tragedy to violence and at times even engages in sensationalism that I began questioning the "truth" in the narration. But the narrative bounces back by redeeming itself after those brief spells of incredulity.

D) Even though the book is supposed to be non-fiction I found the author very manipulative in style like a fictional story teller. For example he keeps the dates of his encounters with the characters bit nebulous and goes back and forth to some characters using their quotes mixing it with his own commentary to present a very romanticized or sensational story that mirrors his own personal view on the subject. For example it tends to reinforce the stereo types that most of us may agree with such as "Generally the mafia in bombay are most Muslims", "Gujaratis are business minded", "Hindu criminals though equally bad are slight better because they suffer from guilt and are god fearing", "Bollywood stars and directors are shallow and superficial", "Bombay is a filth pit of pollution and shit" etc. This paints some of the characters and situation in bad light without telling you all the sides of the story. Its this style that makes the book seem like fiction at times and honestly for some maybe even the charm of the book.

It may also be that perhaps he had lot of research material to sift thru but he deliberately selected the stories to suit his hidden agenda of coming up with a best seller for the international audience. And he chooses his stories based on his own personal convictions rather than telling them objectively purely from the character's view point.

I read somewhere that after the book was published his relationship with one of the bollywood characters in the book (Vinod the director) soured and they are estranged now.

I personally dont care about this since I am from bombay and consider myself knowledgeable enough to seperate fact from fiction, I just wanted to caution the readers here: Beware the author is extremely intelligent writer and if he manages to manipulate your consciousness and sway your opinions, then its intentional. And maybe that only indicates that he is an extremely good writer. More power to him in that case:-)

I sincerely hope that this book encourages more south asians to adopt this style and genre of writing and we get to read more interesting books on India which is itself on the dawn of transformation and progress. There are millions of fascinating stories and live drama occurring in the streets of india every day that just needs to be captured in a medium that the world may find fascinating and can watch or read about in this century. Don't be surprised if this book is made into a movie or documentary.
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Aug 30, 2007

Maura Finkelstein rated it:

Read in July, 2006

recommends it for: anyone who likes pornography

I'm fascinated by the hype over Mehta's travelogue. This book portrays women as objects, poor people as criminals, and the Bollywood elite as deserving the resentment of a bitter New York based writer who can't quite find a place in the city of his youth.
So I'm struggling to understand what all the hype is about.
This is not, contrary to what reviews would lead us to believe, a book about Bombay. Instead, it's a book about being an outsider, and it does a decent job grappling with...more

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Sep 07, 2007

Lena rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

This book was a mixed bag for me. There is some great narrative in Mehta's tale of his return to the city of his youth as an adult. His description of learning how to navigate the corrupt bureaucracy in order to get enough cooking gas for his new flat was priceless. But as he begins to delve more deeply into explorations of politics, organized crime and the sex trade, particularly his growing friendship with a bar girl, the narrative outlasted my interest. I really enjoyed certain sections o...more

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Dec 09, 2007

Jonathan rated it:

bookshelves: india, non-fiction, travel

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: Indophiles

Mehta returned to his native city as an adult and wrote this book over a couple year period. In it he spends time with police detectives, gangsters, political demagogues, bar room dancing girls, and Bollywood directors. The book gives a fascinating overview of one of the most densely populated, corrupt, polluted, and absurd cities on the planet.

Having just returned from two weeks in Bombay, where I finished this book, I looked at the city informed with Mehta's portrait. Walking ne...more

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Oct 31, 2007

Liza marked it as will-i-ever-finish-these-books-

bookshelves: will-i-ever-finish-these-books-

Read in December, 2007

I'm having a difficult time finishing this book. I usually read it for a few days and then need a break due to the overwhelming detail and drama that Mehta inserts into his prose. I honestly liked the beginning of the book in which Mehta made me feel as though I could see Bombay: crowding around a street stall for the best food in town, the need to bribe every public official for every little (and big) convenience, the dearth of toilets, the omnipresent din, the rich, the poor, etc. But now I'm ...more

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Apr 17, 2007

Zeenat rated it:

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: South Asian lit buffs

A native-Bombay boy returns to the newly christened Mumbai after living in New York. Started out as a wonderful narrative that reflected my own thoughts, criticisms and fears of returning to the homeland. Its an interesting read but requires some patience to get through.

Mehta delves into various aspects of the underworld and its control over the city of Bombay - which is fascinating, but I echo Sabrina's sentiments - homeboy could have used an editor. There were stretches of pages t...more

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Mar 21, 2007

Matt rated it:

Read in February, 2007

recommends it for: Friends, people interested in India/South-Asia, folks who love reading about cities

I rather haphazardly stumbled across Maximum City in an airport bookshop a couple months back and boy am I glad I did, because it perfectly hits one of my literary sweet spots: a fascination with modern cities. It's a well-researched and very detailed look at Bombay (or, as many call it now, Mumbai) as it exists today in all its tremendous beauty and unparalleled horror. Suketu Mehta has a wonderful talent for downloading a tremendous amount of information while also writing utterly fascinating ...more

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Jun 01, 2007

Naresh Tanna rated it:

Read in January, 2007

recommends it for: Adults

Very interesting if you care to learn how the streets/underground works in Mumbai. The book does a great job in describing Mumbai as if it were a living, breathing animal. Tons of history can be learned as well as interesting behaviors/facts about the crazy city.

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Feb 11, 2009

Pam added it

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in March, 2009

I'm officially giving up on this book.... Too many other things I want to read, so I'm done being tortured! I'm rather tired of the violence of this book. You feel overwhelmed by the force that keeps everything from working right in Mumbai and the sheer violence is so awful. One of the guys at work whose family lives in Mumbai fortunately said it is much better now. The underworld has imploded and computerization has made it more difficult to go around randomly killing people. What I like...more

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Feb 15, 2010

Ryan rated it:

Read in February, 2010

I can't say I've ever had a strong desire to move to Bombay, but this book was convincing enough that I safely believe it not the place for me. But, there's a certain subconscious, almost sadomasochistic draw to the place - as if moving there would be a particularly creative form of (potentially physical) suicide to the person I am today. Like Los Angeles - only 10 times stronger.

I came to this book via Mehta's interview in the Believer. He seemed a funny, smart guy and I figured ...more

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Feb 04, 2010

Tina rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in February, 2010

Mehta wrote a book in which he is not entirely honest with himself or his readers. This is not to say that he has grossly misrepresented the "characters" within the world of his non-fiction book (rather, it is apparent that they are perhaps the only "truth" within this book); rather, he is un-truthful with and about himself. This book, as Mehta frames it, is the author's journey back to the mythic land of his youth: Mumbai. Along (perhaps dragged) on this journey are his wife...more Mehta wrote a book in which he is not entirely honest with himself or his readers. This is not to say that he has grossly misrepresented the "characters" within the world of his non-fiction book (rather, it is apparent that they are perhaps the only "truth" within this book); rather, he is un-truthful with and about himself. This book, as Mehta frames it, is the author's journey back to the mythic land of his youth: Mumbai. Along (perhaps dragged) on this journey are his wife and two sons, the later of whom's "cultural education" appears to be the impetus of this return to the mother land. However, Mehta rarely mentions his wife or his children within the pages of his book. Rather, what he focuses on are the gangsters, bar dancers, directors/Bollywood types, and other "riff-raff" that populate Mumbai. Later, much later, in the book he shifts the focus (albeit briefly) to a street urchin-cum-poet and a Jain family (two separate vignettes) in an attempt to emphasis that Mumbai is home to aspiration and broken dreams. However, not only does this shift come too late, but the connection to Mehta's own aspirations and broken dreams reads as forced and false. In a book that is heralded as a journey of self-discovery (at the very least so, by the title alone) Mehta fails to make himself the center of the story and thus, fails to truly and truthfully examine what it means to return home and/or rediscover/discover for the first time one's heritage.

Despite the feeling of a contrived story (many parts of this book read as though Mehta compiled files upone files of research, looked over that research, and then cobbled together a story that he thought his western (read: New Yorker audience) might enjoy, there are moments of light and levity. His descriptions and portrayal of the characters that populate his book--the gangster hit-men, the dancing girls, the gender-confused Honey, etc--are all heartbreakingly beautiful and breathtakingly astute. As a cultural "insider", Mehta accurately walks the thin line between gratuitously aggrandizing his own culture in an attempt to defend it and/or excusing the sometimes seemingly "backwards" actions of a third-world populous. The desperation to escape as well as the love its inhabitants have for Mumbai is perfectly and tenderly expressed. In that, at least, Mehta was truthful. (less)

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Dec 14, 2009

Judgeglock Glock rated it:

(review of isbn 0375403728)

Read in December, 2009

A lot of purple prose here, but some of it is really justified. After all, when you're surrounded by Muslim gangsters, Jainist monks, underage call girls, and Bollywood movie producers, all set against the backdrop of one of the world's strangest and filthiest cities, you're allowed to use a little literary hyperbole.

Mehta's a journalist who returns to his hometown of Bombay to explore the underworld and write some in-depth portraits of its denizens. He does a great job of it...more

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Nov 19, 2009

Adam Braus rated it:

Read in November, 2009

Mr. Meta shows how powerful, useful and vital a journalist can be to society. Where no one is in the position of power to change such entrenched problems as the Rent Act, or resolve Hindu-Muslim racism and violence in Mumbai, the author brings to light these issues and their roots in personality, history, and politics in a way that opens a way to their solution. Moreover, no Indian could do what Mr. Meta does without being criticized, but since he is essentially an outsider considered 'cosmopoli...more

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Aug 15, 2009

Kristian added it

bookshelves: summer-reading-2009

this book is about a boy named john brown and he is a very mysterious child. he went inbto the woods with his friend and met a guy named frankey b walter this man had alot of money. but only her needed one thing to complete his life to be the man he wanted to be and to find the thing that he wanted since he was a boy. it is the golden EYE. only found in mount apakapitchu. jon loods for it and finds it but he decides since he found it he should keep it and he could make close to 500 thousand doll...more

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Aug 04, 2009

Yvonn Blain rated it:

Read in October, 2008

I picked up this book because I had read that it had some "behind the scenes" stories about a Bollywood movie I'd seen and enjoyed, "Mission Kashmir". I got a whole lot more than I'd expected. Not only did the sections about the movie, actors and director supply wonderful insight into the film, there was so much about recent, and not so recent, political history, I found myself picking up information without even trying.
The contrast between the lives of the di...more

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Jan 14, 2009

Preeti rated it:

The book helped me understand my country better. Gave me the chance to know more about individuals and communities that one is often curious about.
The book is thought provoking and definitely a read for those looking to know more about the city and country.

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Feb 12, 2010

Brian rated it:

(review of isbn 0375403728)

Read in February, 2010

I cannot remember the last book that I liked so much but took me so long to finish. The author, Bombay born, but who spent his adult life abroad, writes with a style more suited to Indian than American English. At first the frequent use of Hindi and Marathi phrases was arresting, but after a while, I approached their use as I would a conversation with native speakers in which clarification of every meaning is neither appropriate, nor necessary.

Mehta lays out the book in a series of ...more

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Jan 14, 2010

Cem rated it:

Read in December, 2006

The best book that I have read about Bombay so far. Good detail, you can almost smell the sweating Shiv Sena mobs.

Gets into Hindu fundamentalism, Muslim mobsters, graft entrepreneurs, transexual heart-throbs, and daily life in a stinking, gorgeous fractal. Good stuff.

Lots of solid India cliches in the book (kinda like there is in this review) and you do get a lot of the "Slumdog Millionaire" landscape of grime and struggle.. but stereotypes tend to come from...more

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Aug 01, 2008

Shikha rated it:

Read in October, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone who has a love affair with big cities.

Another incredible book on Bombay (I think I need to move on to another city). More raw than Shantaram and a few parts sensationalized (in my opinion), but an amazing account of the many layers and faces of Bombay, that made me even more fascinated and in awe of how the metropolitan megalith manages to stay afloat. My favorite quote: "You can go home again, and you can also leave again. Once more, with confidence, into the world." (It spoke to me. :))

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