The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Long story short:
Balram Halwai reveals how a son of a rickshaw driver became a successful entrepreneur living in Bangalore.
Thoughts:
I don’t know what I expected from this book, but it wasn’t this. The novel is a very cynical, dark, yet witty perspective of the Indian class struggle, and I absolutely loved it!
The prose is fast-paced and very engaging. It’s divided into 7 chapters and told in the first person as a letter. I did, however, prefer the second half of the book, than the first.
I just didn’t really want it to end. It was provocative, punchy, and powerful.
The characters were vibrant, but full of contradictions. There isn’t a single “good” character. Balram is the perfect anti-hero: I found him deplorable, but I still kept rooting for him!
I have visited India several times, and my family that live out there do have servants. So in this way, I did find it a very realistic portrayal of Indian socio-political culture and the inherent inequalities – amongst other key themes.
Adiga has done an outstanding job in portraying the plight, emotions and aspirations of the poor in Indian society.
I have watched the film, and it does not do the book any justice… It’s more ‘purr’ than ‘roar’. This book isn’t for everyone, but I would highly recommend it!
#ANovelPage rating 9/10
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