Last Man In Tower

Last Man In Tower by Aravind Adiga documents the rivalry of two men who are interested in owning the same flat in Mumbai. The novel sees neighbor turn against neighbor as their determination to secure the flat, each for his own purposes, causes them to participate in increasingly dastardly schemes. The novel revolves around the theme of greed and how it has the power to drive us to do things of which we never dreamed we were capable.

The book opens on Dharmen Shah, a Mumbai developer, as well as the antagonist of the story. Mr. Shah wants to purchase the two-story property that houses the middle-class Vishram Society. He plans to tear down the building and construct a luxury high-rise in its place, which he plans to call The Shanghai.

Shah, a ruthless businessman, is determined to do anything he has to in order to achieve his goals. When he is focused on making money, everything else fades into the background, including his own health and well-being. Pig-headed and determined, he thinks of himself as being unstoppable. However, when he meets Yogesh Murthy, or Masterji, Shah wonders if the old man might be even more stubborn than him.



Masterji is a retired schoolteacher who is not easily swayed by money. His priorities lie in preserving his memories of the past, especially what he remembers of his deceased wife and daughter.

Shah sends his assistant to gather information about the property and to get to know the current residents. Once Shah has all the information at his disposal, he makes a decision. He offers each household $330,000, a sum most of them would otherwise never see within their lifetime. Almost all of the residents eagerly accept Shah’s offer of a cash payout. However, a few households refuse to give up their residencies, each claiming their own reasons.

For example, Mrs. Pinto is blind and has memorized the layout of the building. She and her family worry about how she would cope in a new living situation, making them reluctant to give up their unit. Mrs. Rego distrusts developers like Shah, having seen her uncle cheated out of a similar deal. She is reticent to accept the money, thinking that Shah will somehow manage to get out of paying her. For Masterji, his home houses his strongest memories of his late wife and daughter. He feels that to move somewhere else would be to leave them behind for good. Mr. Kudwa, concerned about keeping up appearances, doesn’t want to appear greedy by accepting the money outright. He feigns concern for his neighbors, as it is a cooperative living situation. Unless they all agree to relinquish their dwellings, Shah will not be able to proceed with his plans for The Shanghai.



Some of the building’s residents take Shah’s side, helping him to persuade the more hesitant tenants. They are clearly eager to accept their portion of the payout. Since most annual salaries in India only amount to $8000, this is an almost incomprehensible amount of money for them. They plead with the other residents gently, swaying them by filling their minds with ideas of material goods and the promise of a better life for themselves and their families, should they choose to accept the money.

Finally, only Masterji and the Pintos are holding out against Mr. Shah. Masterji enlists the help of various institutions, such as the police, the media, and even his students, to help him make his case and prevent the development from moving forward. One by one, these institutions fail Masterji as they are corrupted by Mr. Shah and his extreme wealth. Masterji starts to feel helpless against a man of such power and influence.

His own neighbors start to distance themselves from him and the Pintos, eventually resorting to pressure tactics to convince them to change their minds. After Mr. Pinto breaks his foot, the Pintos give in and agree to give up their property, leaving Masterji on his own, as the last man in the tower trying to defend himself and the building from Mr. Shah but also his own neighbors.



The members of the Society vote to expel Masterji from the building, which they believe will solve the problem once and for all. However, the deadline imposed by Mr. Shah comes and goes, and they hear nothing from him. No money comes their way. In a moment of desperation, they decide to take matters into their own hands and attack Masterji, knocking him unconscious and throwing his body from the roof.

Mr. Shah comes through with the deal, and several months later, all the residents have moved on to new, luxurious properties and are very much enjoying their newfound wealth. However, some of them are unable to shake the memory of Masterji, and even with all of their money, they cannot rest easy because they are overcome with guilt for having murdered this man whom they remember as a man of conviction, always standing by his beliefs.