Narcopolis (novel)

Narcopolis
AuthorJeet Thayil
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPenguin Books
Publication date
26 September 2012
Pages304 pages
ISBN0143123033

Narcopolis is the debut novel of Indian author Jeet Thayil, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize. It is set in 1970s Old Bombay and concerns opium and its influence. The novel's narrator arrives in Bombay, where he becomes seduced into the opium underground. The story expands to encompass such characters as Dimple, a hijra, Rashid, the opium house's owner, and Mr Lee, a former Chinese officer, all of whom have stories to tell.