Summary

“The Sixth Morning” Narration of this section begins with Balram referring to the emergency from the end of the previous chapter: a man’s death resulting from the activities of the outsourcing company he runs. He hastens to add that he wasn’t personally responsible for what happened, and that he will explain everything later.

Narration then returns to the past, with Balram describing how Mr. Ashok began enjoying Delhi’s nightlife in the aftermath of the departures of his brother and Pinky Madam, nightlife that included going to malls and clubs, drinking a lot, and eventually meeting (and taking home) a young woman. While all this is going on, Balram catches up on both reading (“Murder Weekly” is always handy) and his conversation with The Diseased Driver who, in response to Balram’s questions, tells him the sorts of bleak futures he – Balram...