Animal's People, By Indra Sinha

Pocket Books £7.99

The fictional Indian town of Khaufpur is hobbled by mad and painful memories. Twenty years ago, an American chemical company had caused a catastrophe (the Bhopal disaster is an inevitable, insistent presence). "Animal", the narrator, has been crippled by the resultant toxins to such a degree that he is forced to walk on all fours. As if in mocking echo of this affliction, his nature is crabbed, savage, self-regarding. Having given up on hope, he commits his time to lurid fantasies, erotic and murderous. He has a dog, Jara, and a companion in chaos, Ma Franci, a somewhat troubled old nun.

When an American arrives in Khaufpur in order to open a clinic, hope surges in all. Animal's transformation from brutish beggar to human being is magnificently persuasive. The problem lies in the style. The frenzied intensity, the garbled patois, the heavy-handed smut, seem contrived and make for weary reading. Since Animal has some intriguing reflections – as underdog he sees the underbelly, literally – this is a pity. Bitterly funny and fabulous in the strictest sense, Animal's People uplifts even when it totters.