Bombay Time: A Novel

At the wedding of a young man from a middle-class apartment building in Bombay, the men and women of this unique community gather together and look back on their youthful, idealistic selves and consider the changes the years have wrought. The lives of the Parsi men and women who grew up together in Wadi Baug are revealed in all their complicated humanity: Adi Patel's disintegration into alcoholism; Dosamai's gossiping tongue; and Soli Contractor's betrayal and heartbreak. And observing it all is Rusi Bilimoria, a disillusioned businessman who struggles to make sense of his life and hold together a fraying community.

“[Umrigar's] heartfelt book . . . displays an impressive talent for conceiving multidimensional, sympathetic characters with lifelike emotional quandaries and psychological stumbling blocks.” —The Washington Post Book World

“Bombay throbs with the life and death, crowded, hot, dirty, and volatile . . . [This novel] is a warmhearted look at human nature, with all its strengths and flaws exposed.” —The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Thrity Umrigar has an acute ear for dialogue, and a gift for unmasking the complexities of personal relationships. Wise and nuanced, the narrative grips the reader's attention.” —Bapsi Sidhwa, author of Cracking India

“With the unflinching gaze of a Diane Arbus protégé, Umrigar pulls each of [her characters] into and out of focus to reveal the definitive—at times profoundly intimate—events of their respective lives . . . [A] dazzling debut.” —Hartford Courant