The book is largely based on the socio-economic condition of India in the recent past where the rural populations seem to be left behind in the quest for better living standards. In a bid to look for better livelihood, Indians have to migrate to industrial states for better jobs or atleast to find some form of employment. Mumbai or Bombay is an embodiment of this phenomenon and the country's capital, Delhi is second with other prominent cities hitting the limelight. The book's central focus is based in Mumbai, the economic hub of India. The city is home to those who occupy a place in the Forbes list of the richest and also to slum dwellers and those living by the roadside. The book talks about the unseen impacts of capitalism that has led to deterioration in the eco-systems and to the hundreds of farmers whose livelihood is endangered by large-scaled overhaul from agriculture industry to other forms. Thus the title A ghost story, as many ghosts loom large nearly everywhere in India. The author is a booker-prize winner of her previous book - The God of Small Things.