After Taste

Diwali 1984. Mummyji, the matriarch of a prosperous mithai business family, liesncomatose in a Bombay hospital. Manipulative, determined, and seemingly invincible, Mummyji hasnheld together her family through bribes of money, endless food, and adoration.nSurrounding her are her four children: the weak and ineffectual Rajan Papa who is desperately innneed of cash; Sunny, the dynamic head of the business with an ugly marriage and a demandingnmistress; Suman, the spoilt beauty of the family who is determined to get her hands on Mummyji snbest jewels; and Saroj, Suman s unlucky sister, who has always lived in her shadow. Each one ofnthem wants Mummyji to die.nAftertaste tells the story of one business family and its bitter dynamics: of resentful bahus,nemasculated sons, controlling mothers-in-law, and rapacious siblings. For at the heart of family liesnmoney, not love. Full of rare period details and insights into the world of Baniya families, Aftertastenis worldly, astute, and utterly riveting.