Seven books based on Mumbai that you should read

Nostalgic and real, this is the inside story of South Mumbai homes, Jogeshwari slums and bar dancers.

Maximum City, Suketu Mehta

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Nostalgic and real, this is the inside story of South Mumbai homes, Jogeshwari slums and bar dancers.

Love and Longing in Bombay, Vikram Chandra

The short stories look at modern Mumbai and the people struggling to reconcile traditional values with it.

Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie

The Booker of Bookers winner isn’t entirely set in Mumbai, but the language is local, peppered with Bambaiya slang.

Beautiful Thing, Sonia Faleiro

Faleiro takes us inside the murky world of bar dancers, through the eyes of her young protagonist, Meera.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo

Boo lived in and wrote this book about residents of a Sahar slum who make a living selling scrap.

Ravan and Eddie, Kiran Nagarkar

The seminal book about people in the CWD chawls is a classic Mumbai read. It’s the coming-of-age story of Ravan and Eddie .

Taj Mahal Foxtrot 2012, Naresh Fernandes

Fernandes tells the story of the Jazz Age in Mumbai, spanning three decades of musicians and patrons.