The characters in the novel live in mortal terror of what the neighbors will say. Thus, the rumor mill becomes a prominent motif related to the theme of The Fear of Disgrace. This was equally true of the first book in the trilogy, in which those who like to churn up scandal are called “gossip-eaters.” The same phrase turns up occasionally in the second book as well. While it might make sense that the rumor mill would be active among socially prominent families in Jaipur, it’s equally active in the small community of Shimla.

Nimmi must go through complex maneuvers to keep people from guessing anything about the gold smuggling operation. She can conduct her sheep-shearing activities only at night. When this work might be discovered, Jay intentionally feeds the rumor mill by suggesting to the police that he’s having an affair with Nimmi to give them another topic for speculation. At multiple points, other sayings allude to the rumor mill, such as “the mountains have ears” (182) and “word gets around” (298). Nimmi uses this process to her advantage when she suggests to the police that she heard rumors through the grapevine about illegal smuggling at Canara Private Enterprises.