Dominique Lapierre, author of “City of Joy,” revisits India to tell the story of the chemical gas leak 18 years ago at Bhopal that still affects its residents.

On Dec. 3, 1984, a cloud of deadly invisible gas began to spread quickly from Union Carbide toward Bhopal’s impoverished “bustees,” neighborhoods of shacks.

The catastrophe caused 16,000 to 30,000 deaths and more than half a million injuries.

However, the book is not just about the leak. The authors place most of the emphasis on the people whose lives changed forever.

Lapierre and co-author Javier Moro wanted to put a face on the victims still suffering from breathing difficulties, persistent coughs, gynecological disorders and various other problems.

Among those affected was Padmini Nadar, who, at age 8, had to work to help support her family instead of attend school. The reader follows Padmini for several years, from her youth to her wedding day. Her story and those of others effectively make the reader feel the sorrows of the bustee dwellers.

Lapierre and Moro thoroughly researched the event and present substantial background on Union Carbide, its employees and its operations.

While the emotional writing sometimes sounds like an infomercial soliciting donations for poor, sick children in Third World countries, it convinces readers that just when it seemed life couldn’t get worse for the destitute in Bhopal, it did.