One of the most prominent thoughts in Dead Money is that everything is just an illusion spun up by people so they don’t have to think about the depressing fact that nothing matters, death will follow anyhow.

Dead Money builds on the Chinese beliefs about the afterlife. The main character, Raymond, takes the concept of Hell Money and turns it into the thriving economic asset Afterlife Dollars. Everything is make-believe, or is it? Good branding can convince you something is cool, but what makes one thing (for example a t-shirt) better than another? What makes Afterlife Dollars different from other new currencies like Bitcoin?

The three stories in Dead Money are very realistic and well-written accounts of how three people with different backgrounds deal with their struggles in life. Be it financial, healthwise, or purposewise. They’re stories of transformation. The content is interesting and the writing skills of Srinath Adiga are good. Despite all that, it took me a long time to finish the book.

This is partly because there was no surprising turn of events (to me). Dead Money reads like a case study. So while I greatly appreciate the character building, the setting, and the Afterlife Dollars concept with all of its consequences, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I expected. I’d almost say it reads like a non-fiction book illustrating the rise and downfall of an economic asset and the industry surrounding it. The consequences of the Afterlife Dollars economy as a whole are more interesting than the stories of the narrators. So yes, it is a truly interesting book to read, but not the most exciting.

The main reason for my lesser reading experience is that the middle part is less interesting and hardly moves the plot forward. On the other hand, the first part reads like a thriller and I was curious where the third part would take me (a somewhat hasty dystopian ending apparently).

Regardless of the above: Dead Money leaves me intrigued and makes me think about my choices in life and how my choices influence the world. While I would never want to do something like Raymond, I do feel inspired to identify emerging industries and take part in their growth.

What also stayed with me is the question of whether I would realize it when I am being fooled? As for you, do you know what’s fooling you? What did you buy into recently? Do you believe what you see on the news or what you read in books?

I want to end my review with the following topic for discussion: Are Afterlife Dollars per definition bad if they contribute to the spiritual and mental wellbeing of people?

The book is very mature and differently set on leagues of 1984 by George Orwell. A masterpiece indeed that I devoured few pages at a time. The authors writing is flawless and connecting, loved every page of it,

I'm sorry this took me so long to get to but wow! Super dynamic and obviously well researched. A recommend to many friends looking to get back into fiction reading.

A dark satire that plays on the hope people find in life after death across multiple belief systems, Dead Money plunges its readers into a world that seems almost too absurd to be believable--almost.

Set in recent history through the contemporary period, the story begins in Hong Kong with a stock broker named Raymond Li who loses tens of millions of dollars in mob money as the relationship between the stock market and the greater economy starts to erode. It just isn't possible to make the same kind of money playing the market anymore that it once was, and Raymond needs to find an alternative to make some big money, and quickly. When he encounters a man in a park burning hell money for his grandmother, it occurs to him that one of life's inviolable truths is that you can't take your wealth with you when you go. That realization jumpstarts the launch of "afterlife dollars" -- a completely fictive "product" that people can purchase with their real money at an exchange rate of 0.01--eternal happiness for $3,000. Being an obvious con, reporters and the police quickly catch on, but just as he is facing arrest, a deadly H5N1 coronavirus plague hits and people rush to invest in their afterlife as they confront a huge increase in the risk of dying.

Book two takes us to Mumbai about nine years later to meet Sanjit, a young man who had all the reasons to anticipate a lucrative career playing cricket before the onset of ALS. As he struggles with what the remainder of his life will look like, he goes from seeing afterlife dollars to be sham they are to seeing them as a possible mechanism to hedge his bets (if it's a hoax, only his mother will lose out on her inheritance, but if it's not a hoax, he'll be stuck in a slum or in a vicious cycle of life and death for the remainder of eternity), to eventually something that he must have at literally any cost.

Book three centers around Theo, a bitter stock broker and economist who recognizes the broader economic and societal dangers of widespread investment in afterlife dollars. People are foregoing home ownership, retirement savings, and even having children in order to invest in their afterlife. The myth of being able to buy your way into paradise regardless of your moral choices in this lifetime exacerbates crime and hate. As Theo urgently tries to get his message out into the world, he encounters challenges ranging from politicians concerned about the unpopularity of reigning in the afterlife economy to a vehemently racist band of Orange Shirts who blame China for the economic crash the Afterlife Dollars have caused.

As an econ nerd, I was fascinated by the economic themes of this novel and some of the proposed (and opposed) solutions to reigning in the afterlife dollar economy. That said, the economic themes stay pretty high-level and there are only a few paragraphs on actual policy or ramifications, and they aren't always very believable.

I also was interested in the various adaptions of the afterlife dollars mythology to different world religions and also wish those pieces had been explored more.

I was frustrated for most of this novel because literally all of the characters are completely unlikeable. It's not just a protagonist you love to hate, it's constant Holden Caufield-level angst and phallic references reminiscent of the seventh grade. From ALL of them. Women are either there to be fucked or to be repulsed by (and they should try harder to be more attractive). All Muslims are radical jihadi terrorists. It's just really hard to read after a while. I get that it's intentional and I could almost deal with the founder of afterlife dollars being a testosterone junkie with no regard for other people, but almost every single character in this book is completely insufferable, and that made it a major slog for me.

If this novel focused more on the economic or religious development and less on the gross worldviews of the characters, it would be a phenomenal read. But as it is, no more than three stars from me.

On a related note, suicidality is a huge theme in this novel for multiple characters, and it isn't resolved in healthy ways. I do not recommend this novel to anyone struggling with suicidality. It paints a very bleak nature of the future and of human existence.

My appreciation to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC in exchange for the review.

A very original plot from a debut author. Set with 3 different protagonists it provides a good look at beliefs in the spiritual, myths and religions that propel us all.
Despite it’s novelty I found it difficult to get into. I think the problem is mine not the book tho.

Dead Money Is a weird book.
I started reading ir and I felt the story was so absurd, it has to have a ridiculously absurd ending.
I didn't expect the story to be anything it was, and it did surprise me at the end.
The story is divided into three books, each one has different characters and settings.
Whats begins as an absurd solution for an absurd problem, ends with a dystopia that, sadly, Is not so hard to believe.

Life is short. But afterlife isn’t. This is the ad campaign for a one of a kind con that our main character cooks up in order to try and repay fifty plus million dollars he lost as a spectacularly bad investor. He is selling afterlife dollars to ensure that you can live out your death in style, safety and comfort. Apparently, you can take it with you.

While you might think people are far too savvy to fall for this scam, many cultures subscribe to deeply imbedded beliefs about life after death that may make them more susceptible to manipulation.

I didn’t realize until the shift into the second part that this was a novel comprised of the interconnected stories of three men caught up in this scheme in different ways. Early on in this book I thought I was reading a satirized skewering of consumerism and maybe religion but as we shifted into the second part, the threat of the consequences the hustle was revealed in a way I wasn’t prepared for. And frankly, the swerve somewhat lessened my enjoyment of the read.

Without question this is a unique book, kudos to those that ensure novels that don’t fit the formula make their way to readers!

Dead Money by Srinath Adiga is so out of my usual reading choices that I wasn’t 100% sure it was a good idea to request this book but the description caught my attention so I did. And it was a really good idea, I’m glad I requested it.

I can’t describe the book in one word or put it in just one genre. The book is about something that every one of us has thought about before: afterlife. What happens after we die? Do we go to Heaven? Or Hell? Does what we do in this life matter? It should, shouldn’t it?

According to Raymond Li - main character number 1 - if you have the money you get to have everything in the afterlife. Raymond comes up with the ide of Afterlife Dollars. The ide is based on Chinese mythology. He invents a whole background to Afterlife Dollars and sells it to the world.
Raymond is a very smart man, a genius really but behind his smart idea there is cowardice and greed. He starts out as a decent guy I guess but things spiral out of control for him and after he comes up with Afterlife Dollars there is no going back.

Sanjit lives in India, in Mumbai. He is a desperate man, he has nothing to live for since he found out about his sickness. But when he hears about Afterlife Dollars all he can think about is his Afterlife and to get the money to have it. He used to have a normal life, a working relationship but his sickness and then his obsession with Afterlife Dollars changes everything.

Theo is a banker, living in Amsterdam. He is rich, he is successful. Basically, he has everything he ever needed. Until Afterlife Dollars reach Europe too. He knows something is wrong from the start, he knows this is too good to be true. And he will do everything he can to stop Afterlife Dollars from taking over the world. Because even people who didn’t used to believe in the afterlife start making choices that influence this life so they can have a cushy afterlife.

Dead Money is not easy read. In its center is something that is very controversial and could be or maybe should be unbelievable but Srinath Adiga sells it to us. When I started reading I thought this was a joke but as the story unfolded I lost my humor and stopped laughing and started thinking and I couldn’t stop reading. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for my copy.

Wow. What can I say. A real page turner and a thoroughly good read. At first it seems like an amazing story. How a plan to get out of a disastrous situation leads to an idea that preys on people’s fears and creates unprecedented wealth. How different situations lead a person down a path that ordinarily cruet would not go.

However as you get further into the book the fiction starts to seem more real, especially in these unprecedented times. How blame can quickly turn into ugliness and danger that can threaten life as we know it. But as an individual can you make change or do you just in your own small way try and and get on with life and hope that what we do teaches those that are most vulnerable.

Enjoy the ride in this thought provoking book!!

An interesting take on money and life with some humor along the way. It's a little uneven and the ending was just OK, but overall, a creative story told in an engaging way at times. I hope the author keeps writing.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

The most powerful element of Srinath Adiga's debut novel Dead Money isn't merely its ripped-from-the-headlines global timeliness, but that it serves as a parable and cautionary tale for a world that is quite likely past the point to reverse course and avoid destruction. So while the book, which presents three interconnected stories of young men caught up in a global marketing gimmick that creates religious and political shock waves for individuals and nations, is not light-hearted or especially pleasant to experience, it is smartly written and has much to say about the dangers of 21st century capitalist and nationalist trends.

We start with Raymond Li, a power broker who has played fast and loose with a gangster's investments and now faces a loss of millions of his client's Hong Kong dollars. In desperation, Raymond tries a side hustle: for a small sum, a person can convert their worldly cash to AfterLife Dollars, suitable for spending once one has died and moved on. Pitching this mix of religious dogma and ultra-insurance proves to be a success, and Bank of Eternity branches sprout first in China and then take root in other countries, the sales portfolio adjusted to reflect the beliefs of the land. Dead Money's middle section follows Sanjit Sharma, whose diagnosis of a terminal illness leads to an obsession with next-world security and karmic justice. The book concludes with Theo Van Aartsen, an AfterLife Dollars day trader who tries to speak out against the product that, left unchecked, will cause economic and social devastation.

Author Srinath Adiga keeps his grim stories pushing relentlessly forward, and there is a fascination in the details and the larger ideas that makes the dystopic world of each main character truthful and engaging. Indeed, the story's narrative unfolds over the last 18 years, and it is not coincidental that tragic global events of those two decades act as touchstones: the World Trade Center attacks, the stock market collapse, growing civil unrest, and even the rise of Fascism. The author has much to say about these turbulent times and where we are going as humans, and he uses his central premise – those in power cynically taking advantage of those without, fomenting division and false hope along the way – to create a very believable chain of cause and effect.

I also appreciated reading a story whose central characters were genuinely cross-cultural (read: not American), with settings in Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Amsterdam. Here, too, Adiga crafts his specifics to make the neighborhoods and supporting players feel truthful. The challenge is that so many of the characters are not likeable by design, which makes for a sometimes alienating effect. But this is a necessity based on the cautionary parable being told; people are not trustworthy and systems (and sometimes, it seems, life itself) are built to penalize the innocent and enrich the guilty. The lesson may be unpalatable, but that doesn't make it less true or less important to face.

Note that there is a fine streak of dark humor running through Dead Money, and even better, the reader is shown pockets of humanity to contrast against the cynicism and avarice that fuels so many of the characters within these pages. It's enough to make us want to stand with Theo and reject the most damaging and corrupt ideologies by those in financial and political power. But, as Theo suspects, it seems that these systems are increasingly impossible to fight once they are established.

I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Dead Money, from Central Avenue Publishing, will be available in the United States in January 2021.

I received this Advance Review Copy by Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley, Central Avenue Publishing for the opportunity!!

Review

Dead Money is the debut novel of the author Srinath Adiga. It is satire about religion, money, politics and spirituality. The idea of the book was so new and unbelievably different. The author had taken something very unbelievable and distinct as the core subject of his book and the most astonishing part is that he had written it pretty convincingly. I guess even the most rational and practical of personalities would forget the reality and simply delve into his story.

The book has been divided into three parts and each part is written from the perspective of three different individuals from different places like Hong Kong, Mumbai and Amsterdam respectively. The author had beautifully described all of these amazing places with his words. This book had so many different people from different societal backgrounds, religious backgrounds, languages, different ethnic groups and race. The way the author had brought all these set of people together to weave a plot was simply mind-blowing. But with the beginning of each part of the book it almost felt like reading a new story altogether and it took sometime to get used to the writing and narrative style of the author with each and every part of the book. The writing style could’ve been even more smooth and better. At certain point it felt tedious to read the book.

Though the beginning of each part was quite slow, the way the author had ended each of the part was simply amazing. The first two parts, that’s the story of a man from Hong Kong, Raymond Li and the story of a man from Mumbai, Sanjit was written down so very perfectly. With this book the author had come up with a novel concept called dead money, while Raymond Li’s character first came up with this idea of dead money, it almost felt like a joke initially but with each passing page the author had successfully rationalized the concept.

Among the three men, Theo, the guy from Amsterdam was the genuine personality and he is the guy I liked to read about in this book but somehow his side of the story wasn’t quite satisfying. The author could’ve worked more on Theo’s story to make it better and fulfilling. After reading the first two plots, Theo’s side of the story obviously felt quite disappointing and inefficient.

The author had talked about lot of issues in this book, the mad and blind beliefs of the people on myths, religions and spirituality. He had talked about the COVID Pandemic, economic recession, the fall of global economy, finance, racism, religious discrimination and many hard topics like that. Though it was all written very efficiently a couple of topics actually deviated the story from the main core. It was kind of forced and irrelevant.

The novel, anew idea of the book was outstanding. Despite having a slow start, the beginning and the middle of the book was amazing but somehow the end didn’t go so well. And that was highly disappointing.

My Views

The total idea of the book was so cool. I didn’t know how the author had come up with such a different and new story-line. It was completely a new experience to have read it. As I said earlier the end wasn’t satisfying, it felt inept. The ending of the book is as much important as the beginning of the book. Even if the book hadn’t been good from the beginning but if it had a good climax, the readers would almost forget the not so good beginning and will be wholly contented with the ending. So ending is very important, in that case, I would say the ending of this book actually damaged the good and amazing plot of the book. And the ending of the book was also written too very hastily.

There were stereotypical comments here and there in the book but I would like ignore it because of the novel idea and plot-line of the book. I really liked the way in which the author had satirically approached the issues spoken in the book. And also it made me think a lot. My favorite part of this book was, the way the first part of the book ended, that is the way Raymond Li’s side of the story ended. It was quite shocking and good.

My rating for this book would be 3 out 5 stars

I would recommend this book to people who love to read political, economical and religious satires. If you wanted to read something new and completely refreshing and satirical. You guys might enjoy this book to the core.

Do read this book and tell me how you feel about it on the comment session below!!

Happy Reading Folks!!

~ Meenu

This book was riveting for the first third, then took a twist and went downhill from there.

The beginning of the book reads like a thriller. Raymond Li in Hong Kong owes money to a mobster; money that he has lost in the stock market. To raise the money (and save his own life), he creates a product called Afterlife Dollars. Enough Afterlife Dollars can buy you a spot in heaven. The creation and set up of the brand read like a financial scam story, and I enjoyed that.

For me, the book took a wrong turn when it then introduced Islamic terrorists in India. This harmful stereotype put a bad taste in my mouth that made me want to stop reading. But I kept on.

The book then took us to Europe and the effect of Afterlife Dollars on the international financial markets. It explored the effects of capitalism. It delved into the ethical questions posed by banks that invest in products that are at best fraudulent and at worst, capable of destroying the world economy.

I understand what the author was trying to do. The book skewers the capitalist system and consumer mentality through Afterlife Dollars. The book, for me, became too preachy. I wish the author had retained the thriller pace of the first third of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story is engaging and relevant for this year read. It’s nicely divided in three parts about what someone can do for money and how it affects on other people. A sharp, intelligent read!

Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for sending me an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

It is February 2002 in Hong Kong and Rayomand Lee stands at the empty pit of the stock market looking at LED screens, only to realise that he has lost 53 million dollars of his client Mr Wu, a notorious gangster, who has a streak of unusual cruelty. He does not use guns, but wields a meat cleaver to do his job. Rayomand is totally at a loss and does not know what to do, how will he ever recover and repay Mr Wu the money he has lost.

Taking refuge in a garden he comes across a man who burns a paper house and car as well as hell money to satisfy a dead father who appears to him in a dream. Raymond gets the brainwave. He invents a dramatic short term death experience where he has been privileged to see “afterlife.” He describes to potential customers an economy beyond the pearly gates which functions exactly as in the world with lawyers to be appointed to plead your case with the Almighty, one bedroom apartments to be purchased, shopping malls…. For all these conveniences you need to purchase from the Bank of Eternity “Afterlife Dollars” which would guarantee sufficient funds for a comfortable existence.

The author satirizes the prevalent commercial, marketing gimmicks as well as the ability to tap people’s fears of death. On one hand, he shows how unscrupulous a modern day businessman is; he has no compunction of taking advantage of an epidemic to market his product. On the other, Srinath also shows how people lose every vestige of reason when they fall under the spell of a fraudster. So successful is Raymond, that the business grows at an unimaginable pace and soon occupies 10 storeys of a skyscraper.

Once again Srinath shows the greed and rapaciousness of the businessman in the 21st century as Raymond travels the world and markets his Afterlife Dollars. The scene shifts to Mumbai nine years later where we are introduced to a 30 year old, depressed Sanjit Sharma who has just been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a virtual death sentence. He is rescued from a motorcycle accident by his childhood friend, Ali, at whose flat he takes refuge. Sanjit reads about the the Bank of Eternity and the Afterlife Dollars which Ali has it has prominently displayed on the fridge and is obsessed with advertisement; but he does not have the finances to pay the requisite amount. Ali finds him a sponsor who is ready to lend him the balance; but nothing comes free and there is a price to pay.

If in the first two parts, the author plays with people’s gullibility and fear of death, in Book 3 we encounter Theo in Amsterdam in 2011. Theo is a financial consultant who loses his job because his bosses want to support the Afterlife Dollars which Theo recognizes as a fraud. The Afterlife Dollars have substantially increased in price and Srinath shows the herd mentality of people who purchase items not for their intrinsic value but because they are expensive. Theo goes to the Dutch parliament and also to the European Parliament in Brussels to explain the economic drain of the Afterlife Dollars but his pleas fall on deaf ears.

There is a subplot in the last section which deals with a radical group and their anti-Chinese stand. Though it reflects the main theme, it could have been avoided as it causes a certain dilution of Theo’s efforts to deal with the Afterlife Dollars.

The book starts with a very complimentary statement by the publisher praising the author. I thought it was an exaggeration, but I was forced to eat my words at the end of the novel.

Oh the was marvellous from the start to end with its dark humour about society, beliefs and everything. But if the plot was developed a bit more on how people are attracted towards Afterlife dollars it would have been better.

The first part deals with development of afterlife dollars. The second part studies it's affect on individual person. And last one about how civilization is brought to its knees.