adapted from a review that was originally published in The New Indian Express 
 The most gripping side-story is that of a character named Badal, whose love for a teenaged boy employed in a beach-side tea stall goes through several convulsions of insecurity, ultimately leaving Badal coping with rejection. In the most delightful chapter of the book, Badal sets off on foot from his house, forgetting the scooter he uses every day. He goes through an eventful day, one involving an erotic moment with the teenaged boy, and then at day's end begins to wonder if his scooter has been stolen. So swept away is Badal by his desire that his routines begin to roll off his life. Through this incident we are also reminded of the general volatility of memory, which is in fact a larger theme throughout the novel.