In this Dickensian novel, richly populated with a cast of eccentric characters, the geneticist Dr. Farrokh Daruwalla returns to his native Bombay to collect blood from dwarfs and frequent the circus. He also writes screenplays for the thriving Indian "Bollywood" film industry. Meanwhile, the film hero Dhar has a fanatical admirer, a boy who passes as a woman, and an identical twin who shows up for the first time. Set in Bombay and Toronto, Irving's eighth novel is partly a murder mystery and partly an examination of the roots of prejudice.

A Hindi film star . . . an American missionary . . . twins separated at birth . . . a dwarf chauffeur . . . a serial killer . . . all are on a collision course. In the tradition of A Prayer for Owen Meany, Irving's characters transcend nationality. They are misfits--coming from everywhere, belonging nowhere. Set almost entirely in India, this is John Irving's most ambitious novel and a major publishing event.

A Hindi film star . . . an American missionary . . . twins separated at birth . . . a dwarf chauffeur . . . a serial killer . . . all are on a collision course. In the tradition of A Prayer for Owen Meany, Irving's characters transcend nationality. They are misfits--coming from everywhere, belonging nowhere. Set almost entirely in India, this is John Irving's most ambitious novel and a major publishing event.