Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Age of Vice

A Novel

Audiobook
4 of 4 copies available
4 of 4 copies available

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

This is the age of vice, when money, pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill

New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It's a rich man's car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who can't explain the strange series of events that led to this crime, or foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.

Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family—loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.

In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined. Born into poverty, Ajay is the watchful servant who rises through the family's ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters' connections become a path to escape or a trigger for further destruction?

Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, Age of Vice transports readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi. An intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance and the consequences of corruption, it is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 19, 2022
      In Kapoor’s searing portrait of India at the turn of the 21st century (after Bad Character), finely wrought characters go to great lengths to escape the bonds into which they were born. Ajay, from a desperately poor family and sold into servitude by his mother at eight in 1991, begins working for Sunny Wadia, an unhappy playboy and scion of a powerful family, in 2001. Sunny’s father, Bunty, and mysterious uncle Vicky hold sway over whole swaths of the Indian economy and political landscape. Neda Kapur is a cynical journalist first drawn to Sunny by a corruption story she is writing, but is soon caught in the vortex of Sunny’s lavish lifestyle of endless parties, drugs, and conspicuous consumption facilitated by the ever-present Ajay. Sunny dreams of creating new cities and carving a new path for himself, but he is emasculated by his father’s hold on the family’s empire. As Sunny and his friends’ behavior becomes increasingly reckless, Ajay is made a scapegoat for a shocking fatal car accident, and Neda witnesses in full the ethical morass upon which the Wadias’ success is built. Kapoor’s violent and bitter story is deeply addictive; this spellbinder would be easy to devour in one big gulp, but it’s worth savoring for Neda’s uncompromising take on what she terms India’s “losing age, the age of vice.” The author possesses a talent great enough to match the massive scope of her subject.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Vidish Athavale draws listeners into this sweeping crime novel set in New Delhi. When a speeding Mercedes veers off the road and kills five people, Ajay takes the fall for his boss, Sonny, the son of a rich man with criminal dealings in the city. With his incredible range, Athavale's narration captures Ajay's tumultuous childhood of poverty. Athavale also illuminates the repetitive spectacle of Sonny's backroom dealings as he tries to carve out a place for himself beyond his father's reach. Athavale's performance reflects the complex political machinations of Sonny's family, creating a suspenseful story. K.D.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading
The Ontario Library Service Download Centre site is funded by participating libraries.