Deepti Kapoor is at Festivaletteratura to talk about her second novel Age of Vice, described by the Guardian as "India's answer to the Godfather”. The mechanisms of money, violence and crime are universal, acknowledges the author. But the comment is the result of a West-centric world. Something she will have to deal with when adapting her book for the upcoming TV series. “It is set in a typically Indian environment, and Indian behaviours will have to be revised to be suitable for a global public.”

Kapoor approaches writing "like a gardener": instead of planning every detail, she plants seeds and watches them grow. As a consequence, her characters are lively and authentic. Neda represents old India and its èlite, struggling to get to grips with the power shift that started in the 90’s, heralding the rise of new money and the displacement of socialism by capitalism. Sunny, on the other hand, is the symbol of new India. The attraction between the two personifies the difficult relationship between the rising criminal class and the old aristocracy. This is only one of the aspects that characterise the complex, many-faceted and paradoxical country that is present-day India. The characters’ lives are simultaneously bustling and paralysed: Italian crime writer Carlo Lucarelli, interviewing the author, defines them as “procrastinated lives”. They are people with desires and potential, but also people who cannot and never will change their situation.

In a world dominated by violence and power games, there seems to be no space for hope. Nonetheless, Kapoor is optimistic: “The day will come when people will vote for somebody who is not for sale.” But for the time being she remains cautious. “Do you want more money?”, a character in Age of Vice is asked. “No, I want my life back.” is the answer.