Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Tijd van zonde

I loved the premise and the setting and time period of the book but I didn't feel connected to most of the characters and there were too many description of what alcohol they were drinking (boring)

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lindsayerin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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okiecozyreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I loved this book so much until the last couple of hours. I was completely engrossed in the lives of Ajay, Sunny and Neda, I felt like I wouldn’t want it to end. It kind of took a dark and brutal turn (heavy on drug use and violence, not to say there wasn’t violence before). But the bulk of the book I truly loved. Such great storytelling; it kind of reminded me of the worlds Kristin Hannah creates, in which you miss the worlds and characters when they are gone.

From the first page, the story is gripping. They find Ajay in an expensive car, wrecked, which killed people. He is sent to prison, when he beats up some gang members who attack him, the warden tells him:

“ There’s been a mistake. I wasn’t told,” he says. “If I’d been told, this would never have happened. Really, no one knew, not even your friends. But things will be different. You’ll be taken to your friends here now. You’ll be free, within reason. And this unfortunate business with those other men, this will be forgotten…. You should have said something. You should have made it clear. You should have let us know. Why didn’t you let us know?”
Ajay stares at the food, at the cigarette pack. “Know what?”
The warden smiles. “That you’re a Wadia man.”

So then, we go back in time, to learn what it means that he’s a Wadia man. Later, we meet the infamous and wealthy Sunny Wadia, and Neda, the reporter; and how their lives all intersect. I loved each of these characters (until the end).

Part One

“…no one abuses him or threatens to kill him. It’s a better life than any he’s ever hoped for or known.” New Delhi 2004 / 4

“And he discovers something else: It gives him pleasure to please, it gives him pleasure to anticipate every possible need, not just Mummy’s and Daddy’s but everyone’s, the farm workers’, the animals’, the shopkeepers’ pleasure. Not just pleasure, not really, more like the stanching of a wound, more like the holding of a tide, a sacrifice, negating the trauma of his birth.” Maharajganj 1991 / 5

“The girls often ask about him. But he’s too shy; he recoils. He cannot conceive of it, his own body terrifies him, his own needs. He likes to set himself within limits; those limits keep him strong.” Maharajganj 1991 / 6

“Madam,” he replies. “Don’t tell us about our culture. We’re not zoo animals for your pleasure, not the smiling native to accessorize your enlightenment. The simplicity and honesty you think you know is simply your eyes deceiving your brain. …If you knew our culture, you’d know respect is one currency, but at the end of the day, money talks. Finally, understand this one thing. India is our country, not yours. You are guests here. We are great hosts, but don’t disrespect us in our own home.” Ch 7

“I’m tired. I’m stuck between the shit my father does and the things I can’t do.” Ch 15

“…she understood in that moment how the sources of strength are illusory.” Ch 15

“The chains of existence … have to be weak enough to break.” Ch 15

“Remember, nothing will change, this is Kali Yuga, the losing age, the age of vice.” Ch 16

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