It is appalling to note how each character of Aravind Adiga’s “Last Man in Tower” feels that it has to be money which would solve all their problems they had in their lives. The extent to which the Indian God fearing middle class goes in order to procure the consent of one of them for their collective wish was brought out by Adiga in a shocking manner. The cause of disturbance and displeasure of their actions towards the culmination of this book is one of the strongest points that go in favor of an otherwise low key fiction that it actually is. 

Kittur, an imaginary village which was the centre of this earlier work, provided him the much needed scope to be inventive on the likes of Narayan’s Malgudi, but this book captures the middleclass India at its centre (Mumbai) with authentic depictions of the places which does not come as a surprise given the author’s familiarity with the place. The characters of whose class in the Indian social strata which Adiga claims to be a part of were tediously typical, but mostly relatable. The vulnerability in relationships of people owing to their materialistic wishes may be viewed as an author’s trade mark but it is not entirely farfetched either.

Adiga wastes no time in introducing the motley of characters inhabiting an unimpeachably pucca Vishram Society whose lives were to be impacted by an ambitious and a notoriously persuasive builder Dharmen Shah, who wants to erect a huge building by buying their lands off with generous offers. Four of the residents oppose the deal as Shanmugam, the left hand man of Shah, Kothari the secretary of the Vishram society and Ajwani the broker work their way through three of them and succeeding in getting their assent. Yogesh Murthy or fondly known as Masterji becomes the last man in tower opposing the deal much to the chagrin of all the residents of whom he has developed close relationship after the demise of his wife. The hostility they develop towards the Masterji for rejecting the offer raises pertinent doubts about their earlier warmth. Despite the author’s attempts at making them seem human by placing them amidst circumstances that demand their actions, the deviousness with which they plot the inconveniences and even threats to the old man following the deadline imposed by Shah make them despicable. 

One of the redeeming features of the book is Adiga’s firm denial in painting the characters either black or white and infusing each of them with enough grays which makes it difficult to take sides, even of the two men who never have to face but fight against each other. The writing neither possesses a philosophical tone trying to be deep and insightful, nor draws attention towards itself in particular as is the case with Adiga’s earlier works as well. Also, he stays away from taking the moral high ground, which proved to be seductive especially to Indian authors, and succeeds in presenting an objective view of the proceedings. At the end of the book, we might want to chant the development mantra or the rhetoric cultural shtick based again entirely on our sensibilities and the way we look at the things as they unfolded, because even the epilogue merely presents the events after the deal. This is an honest work from an author addressing the issues at the heart of a country whose people are still trying to find that perfect balance between their much eulogized culture and their own ambitions, materialistic and otherwise.