Review
Tarun J. Tejpal is the editor of India's investigative news magazine,
Tehelka (translated as "sensational"), which is known for exposing corruption; and, according to a 2009 BusinessWeek profile, is one of India's most powerful figures. In his latest novel,
The Story of My Assassins – a hardboiled account of life on the fringes – he draws on his journalistic background to create a fictional panorama that questions perceptions of victimhood. In an unusual twist, Tejpal asks readers to consider the possibility that the criminals themselves may be victims of a complex plot against them.
At the start of the tale, the narrator, who is a journalist at a floundering publication in New Delhi, hears that he has been targeted, for what he will later assume to be his controversial reportage, and that his five would-be assassins have been apprehended. He is...
Beyond the Book
India's national capital territory of Delhi, which includes the capital city of New Delhi, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. It has over sixteen million people working in information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media, and tourism, among other fields. It boasts globally renowned universities and medical centers, world heritage sites, fabulously wealthy people, and the world's second largest exhibition of books held biannually. At the same time, many of its residents live in slums without water, electricity, or sanitation. One of the most dangerous cities in India, Delhi has high crime rates including serious crimes such as kidnapping and crimes against women.
Delhi is a northern Indian city, with Hindi and Punjabi the most commonly...
