Age of Vice Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Four Yugas and our BookBrowse Review of Age of Vice.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. An epic, action-packed, multicharacter drama, Age of Vice has been described as a family saga, a crime thriller, and even a twisted, forbidden romance. Its characters include crime bosses and servants, politicians and journalists, friends and lovers, and dysfunctional families; the plot offers violence and betrayal, as well as tenderness, heartache, and hope. How would you characterize it as a novel? If you were recommending it to a friend, what would you compare it to?
2. At the center of the novel is the astonishingly wealthy, dangerously corrupt Wadia family, whose elaborate web lures and entraps multiple characters. Theirs is a world where money buys pleasure, power, and loyalty—but what that loyalty is expected to look like differs depending on the person. Consider some of the different ways that loyalties are tested and proven, and how the outcomes vary. (Compare, for instance, the post-crash outcomes for each of the characters involved.)
3. Consider the novel's three main characters: Ajay, a servant born into poverty; Neda, an upper-caste, educated woman; and Sunny, the playboy son of a crime family. How do their worlds, rules, and expectations differ and intersect? What do these characters illustrate about the different social realms of India? How are they each changed when their fates become intertwined? Which world were you most interested in and why?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Riverhead Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.