Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Devastating and brilliant. At times, it felt like Yet Another Slum Story, and I was flashbacking to the 1980s films of Shyam Benegal (“Chakra” and “Mandi” sprang immediately to mind). But that never diminishes its impact, which - if your morality is still intact - is huge. If your morality is NOT intact, then this is one of those books that will shame you back into trying to Do Good. I work in a Good profession (I like to think so), but this book made me consider quitting everything and going to run an NGO in Annawadi itself. Of course, if I learned anything, it was also that corruption is endemic. Yet even with the pervasive cynicism, I finished this book feeling enriched and - well, not hopeful, but not completely hopeless either. Written with empathy and a great eye for detail, even with a bit of humor. Yes, it also reads like a novel.