Upamanyu Chatterjee is an Indian author noted for his works set within the Indian Administrative Service. His writing often delves into the ironic and satirical aspects of bureaucracy and everyday life in India. Chatterjee's style is characterized by its keen insight into human psychology and his ability to capture the nuances of social interactions.
Agastya Sen, known to friends by the English name August, is a child of the Indian elite. August himself has just landed a prize government job, which takes him to Madna - a town with the highest temperatures in India - deep in the sticks. There he finds himself surrounded by incompetents and cranks, time wasters, bureaucrats, and crazies.
Jamun is a young man, adrift. His father, Shymanand, is old and his mother, Ursula, on her deathbed. As the novel opens, the family are gathering together for the inevitable parting. Tracking backwards and forwards in time and space, the book unfolds a picture of Jamun and his family.