A review by booklywookly
Beach Boy by Ardashir Vakil

4.0

In the late 2000s, I moved to Mumbai for my studies. I lived there for six years, and I have no doubt that that city shaped my life. It made me who I am and nudged me in the right direction. I love everything about that city. The only regret I have is that I lived in Mumbai that was already “Mumbai”. I never got a chance to witness the city that was - Bombay. I have this weird romanticism associated with the idea of “Bombay”, the ghost of which still envelopes Mumbai in its charm and many ways. Any book that is set in Bombay invokes in me a nostalgia for something it never truly had. Crazy, haan? 

Anway, this is a coming-of-age story, set in the Bombay of the 1970s. It follows the life of Cyrus Readymoney, an 8-year-old Parsi boy. We witness Cyrus’s formative years, filled with the chaos and vibrancy of Bombay, as he strays from his mostly absent parents into the complex world of his neighbors. 

But if I be honest, forget the plot. This is essentially a love letter to Bombay! 

Bombay serves as a backdrop for Cyrus’s adventures and is almost a character in itself, reflecting the complexities and the eclectic mix of the Parsi community’s life. The city is depicted with a rich tapestry of sensory experiences and cultural depth. Its bustling streets, vibrant colors, sounds, and smells. A place of seduction and repulsion, sacred and profane, faith and food, and Bollywood! But also a place of duality, where luxury and squalor exist side by side. Cyrus’s privilege life is contrasted with the diverse and often challenging lives of his neighbors and the people he encounters. Which also is a metaphor for the internal conflicts, his sexual awakening and growing pains Cyrus faces as he comes of age

The story unfolds organically, eschewing a formal plot for a series of incidents and character developments that feel authentic and compelling. You are not reading it for the plot. You are reading it for the vibe - that lowkey chill 1970s when things were pretty alright. This is a book meant for lazy Sunday afternoons. Or for when doctor has prescribed an urgent need for invoking nostalgia for Bombay. 

Ardashir Vakil is one of those writers who emerged in the Golden era of Indian literature with the likes of Arundhati, Vikram Seth, Kiran Desai, Rushdie, Rohinton Mistry, Amitav Ghosh and more. And this is his debut from 1997