I have just finished reading “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga, winner of last year’s Man Booker Prize. I thought it was brilliant. A funny, astute and moving insight into the world of new India presented through the eyes of an endearing but fatally flawed narrator. The story unfolds in a series of letters the main protagonist writes to the Chinese Premier about how he manages to turn his dream of escaping the squalor of his life into a reality, using the bribery and corruption he witnesses on his journey.
I want to give you an example of the style of his writing. Adiga juxtaposes the extremes of modern India through the eyes of Balram and his experiences as a driver for a wealthy family. He writes in a simple but effective way, presenting a series of observations and providing advice to the Chinese Premier in amongst the woven tapestry of his essentially incredibly dark confession. He makes a prediction toward the end of the book:-
“white people are on the way out. For this I blame the president of America; he has made buggery perfectly legal in his country, and men are marrying other men instead of women. This was on the radio. This is leading to the decline of the white man. Then white people use mobile phones too much and that is destroying their brains. It’s a known fact. Mobile phones cause cancer in the brain and shrink your masculinity; the Japanese invented them to diminish the white man’s brain and balls at the same time. I overheard this at the bus stand one night.
White men will be finished within my lifetime. There are blacks and reds too, but I have no idea what they’re up to – the radio never talks about them. My humble prediction: in twenty years’ time, it will be just us yellow men and brown men at the top of the pyramid and we’ll rule the whole world. And God save everyone else.”
I highly recommend it. A very impressive first novel.
Fat, frumpy and fifty...
January 29, 2009crikey l must be a swot I did mine last April…!!
I haven’t got this book..I may get it now you’ve reviewed it…thanks I love books yummy
Frankofile
January 29, 2009Now please just join bookmooch and let me mooch the book from you… sorry, blatant begging.
Reluctant Memsahib
January 29, 2009perfect, thank you. i need something new on my reading list. this is it xx
Janelle
January 29, 2009thanks for the review! looks roaringly good…must get my hands on it…x j
family affairs
January 30, 2009FFF – you must so be a swot!! How have I managed to leave it to the last hour! Lx
Frankofile – what’s book mooch?
Hope you all enjoy it Lx
Frankofile
January 30, 2009Bookmooch is for bookworms. I list a few of my books at http://www.bookmooch.com, when they’re requested (mooched) I post them off, and get points with which to mooch others’ books. It’s a cheap way to churn the books on my shelves. I was reluctant at first to give it a try, but I’m having a lot of fun with it now. It’s doesn’t have very new books of course.
Fat, frumpy and fifty...
January 30, 2009frankofile, this sounds good.. I love book gimmicks..I will go see.thank you!
I bought a scanner to read my books bar codes and all my books -in the house anyway- are on library thing, now l’ve done it l don’t know what to do with it…duh!!!
family affairs
January 30, 2009I’m afraid I so can’t join Bookmooch after all the fuss I’ve made about keeping my books!
Yes, what exactly is the point of scanning all your books FFF Lx
Super
April 3, 2010Can i use this blog post as a reference. I am thinking to create my post out of this and give my own insight.. I hope you don’t mind