A review by deeandtea
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor

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

3.5

This book took me quite a long time to read. It is such a grim, dark read - very tense and sad and devastating. I really loved Ajay’s story. Hearing of his heartbreaking childhood and how he became caught up in servitude was just devastating. I really came to love his character. Neda’s story was similarly depressing, but I struggled loving her. The author wrote her with such fondness, however. It was easy to feel empathy for her situation and to see the destructive path she had for herself. 

From Sunny’s POV on, I struggled. He was such an unreliable narrator for so many reasons - the drugs, the prose became more fast-paced too. It was hard to keep track of his comings and going’s.
His kidnapping was when this story unravelled for me. Sunil ‘s story felt long-winded and completely disconnected from the plot. He became such a major figure too, I have to wonder why his name wasn’t closely related to the Singh/Wadia empire. His later “contribution” to Ajay’s story made the ending even more depressing than it already was.
 

I think a major mistake was made with ending the book primarily in Sunny’s POV. He was so incredibly unreliable and unstable - his story arc made no sense and his communication with characters we had met before felt pointless. I couldn’t make heads or tails of his relationships with his family, Neda or Ajay. 

The first half of this book was totally enthralling - so a 3.5 is what this rating will be. 
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