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Book club questions for Age of Vice by Karan Mahajan delve into the themes of wealth, corruption and power in contemporary India. The novel offers a thought-provoking look at the consequences of corruption and the moral dilemmas of the characters caught in between.
This novel is packed with many philosophical questions that will ponder your mind. How does the novel explore the theme of morality and its impact on the characters? How does the novel portray the characters’ relationships with their family and the people around them? In what ways does the novel challenge readers to consider their own values and beliefs about wealth, corruption, power and morality?
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Below, I have written my discussion guide for Age of Vice, the synopsis of the book, and more than a dozen book club questions which will keep your book club discussion flowing high. Also, don’t forget to read my book recommendations below the questions!
I hope you will enjoy my book club discussion questions for Age of Vice!
Summary | Ending Explained | Book Club Questions
The Synopsis
New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.
Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family — loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.
In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?
Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.
Book Club Questions for Age of Vice
Have fun analyzing the themes of the story with your book clubs, and let me know what are your thoughts. The following book club questions have been tailored to this book’s specific reading experience.✨
1. An epic, action-packed, multicharacter drama, Age of Vice has been described as a family saga, a crime thriller, and even a twisted, forbidden romance. Its characters include crime bosses and servants, politicians and journalists, friends and lovers, and dysfunctional families; the plot offers violence and betrayal, as well as tenderness, heartache, and hope. How would you characterize it as a novel? If you were recommending it to a friend, what would you compare it to?
2. At the center of the novel is the astonishingly wealthy, dangerously corrupt Wadia family, whose elaborate web lures and entraps multiple characters. Theirs is a world where money buys pleasure, power, and loyalty—but what that loyalty is expected to look like differs depending on the person. Consider some of the different ways that loyalties are tested and proven, and how the outcomes vary. (Compare, for instance, the post-crash outcomes for each of the characters involved.)
3. Consider the novel’s three main characters: Ajay, a servant born into poverty; Neda, an upper-caste, educated woman; and Sunny, the playboy son of a crime family. How do their worlds, rules, and expectations differ and intersect? What do these characters illustrate about the different social realms of India? How are they each changed when their fates become intertwined? Which world were you most interested in and why?
4. Over the course of the novel, we follow Ajay through his formative years and witness his transformation from poor, young servant boy to a “Wadia man.” What does it mean to be a Wadia man? Did his transformation surprise you? What does Ajay gain through this process and what does he lose? What can you conclude about the possibility or impossibility of changing one’s destiny?
5. Neda is a fledgling investigative journalist, torn between the allures of luxury and her increasing awareness of the social injustice around her. From where does Neda derive her values? How do they change? How are her assumptions and expectations different from Sunny’s?
6. As the son of the undeniably successful (if also plainly corrupt) Bunty Wadia, Sunny is a pleasure-seeking socialite who is accustomed to getting what he wants, yet struggles with his conflicting desire to simultaneously impress his father and step out from within his shadow. How does his relationship with Neda complicate those desires?
7. From the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the mountains of the Himalayas, the beaches of Goa, and the bustle of New Delhi, readers are offered a broad window on the culture and landscape of contemporary India. What surprised you about the portrayal of these microcosms, or about the relationship between urban and rural life? What role does the change of setting play in the characters’ story arcs?
8. By playing with point of view and jumps in time, Kapoor changes our understanding of the characters she has introduced us to. What is achieved by beginning the novel with Ajay’s car accident as opposed to his origin story? Why start the novel with Ajay and not Neda or Sunny? How did your initial views change over the course of the book?
9. Further complicating the power dynamics at play in the novel is the notion of the Indian caste system, in which status is endowed by birth. Consider the scene in which we first meet Ajay (“not a rich man at all, rather a facsimile, a man dressed in the imitation of wealth”), compared to our introduction to Sunny (“young, rich, and glamorous … for whom authenticity is not a question”). What role do birth/caste, inheritance, and social capital play in determining one’s “wealth” in the novel? Is there an American equivalent to all of this?
Bonus Book Club Questions
These are my additional book club questions for Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor that take a different approach on analyzing certain themes of the book.
10. How are the three main characters, Ajay, Neda and Sunny, used to depict the different social realms of India and the intersections of class, caste and wealth in the country, and how do these characters’ transformations reflect on these issues?
11. How does the author use point of view and shifts in time to change the readers’ understanding of the characters and their motivations, and how does it impact the themes of the book?
12. How does the novel explore the theme of sacrifice and its impact on the characters, and how does it reflect on the choices that individuals make in the face of power, corruption, and societal pressures?
13. How is the character Ajay used to explore the idea of changing one’s destiny, and what are the implications of this theme for the other characters and the society depicted in the book?
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed my book club and discussion questions for Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor!
Here are some more of my book club recommendations:
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed….
Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.
Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.
At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin….
Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him—he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die.
It turns out that being known as a “self-made” widow comes with some perks. No one messes with her, harasses her, or tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It’s even been good for business; no one dares to not buy her jewelry.
Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her“expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal.
And not all of them are asking nicely.
With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built—but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village.
Filled with clever criminals, second chances, and wry and witty women, Parini Shroff’s The Bandit Queens is a razor-sharp debut of humor and heart that readers won’t soon forget.
Thank you for reading my book club questions and happy reading! ❤️