Transmission

Hi. I saw this and thought of you. Those who clicked the attachment to this innocuous e-mail found a Bollywood star, the toothsome Leela Zahir, dancing across their computer screens. The virus unleashed did $50 billion in damages. "Lines of idle brokers chewed their nails in front of frozen screens. Network nodes winked out of existence." Caught in the turmoil are the hapless Arjun Mehta, a computer geek from India in the U.S. on a slave visa, and a lonely Bollywood star--the selfsame gorgeous Leela Zahir. Kunzru's vision is wildly funny, never distant or cold. He reads with the precision and passion of a gifted actor. You'll take as much pleasure in the book as he does. It's a rare delight. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2004
The e-mail says "Hi, I saw this and thought of you. Check it out." When the attachment, Leela.exe, is opened, a radiant image of 21-year-old Bollywood starlet Leela Zahir dances on the screen. Meanwhile, behind the scenes in the guts of the computer, a nasty virus takes root. Arjun Mehta, the timid, unlucky antihero of Kunzru's newest witty and wicked creation (after The Impressionist), released the virus in a desperate attempt to regain his job at a global securities company. Instead, his creation ends up causing billions of dollars in damages and disrupting the lives of young British entrepreneur Guy Swift, his glamorous girlfriend Gabriella and the actual starlet, Leela Zahir. It's often the kiss of death to have an author narrate his or her own audiobook--not so in Kunzru's case. His reading is strong, yet subtle. Although he does not give each of his complex characters their own identifiable voice (except when a character hails from a different country), he makes up for that fact with his dramatic prowess. Each line of dialogue is not read so much as spoken, with all the inflection and emotional impact that a talented actor would convey. This is a thrilling audio experience and an intelligent look at contemporary culture gone awry.