Genre: Novel, Mystery
Four Stars: * * * *
The Netflix film of this book has recently released, which made me keen to read it, even though I first heard about it years ago when I first moved to India. Be prepared for brutal, in-your-face writing which can be harrowing and intense. The story is raw, it's dark but also hilarious in places. With such contrast, I almost felt guilty to be entertained by such a brutal story. The narrator, Balram, appears somewhat unhinged which is what is reflected in the writing-style. I was also kind of shocked into the book in the first few chapters and I didn't connect with the story right away but somehow I made a 180 turn and was hooked. Also, somewhere along my immersion into the story, I lost the feeling that Balram was unhinged and more desperate and driven to move out of the confines of his Halwai caste. Though his journey to success is fraught with incredible highs and lows.
Synposis
Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life—having nothing but his own wits to help him along.
Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village's wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. From behind the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram's new world is a revelation. While his peers flip through the pages of Murder Weekly ("Love -- Rape -- Revenge!"), barter for girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt), and perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of Indian society, Balram watches his employers bribe foreign ministers for tax breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor (single-malt whiskey), and play their own role in the Rooster Coop. Balram learns how to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics, and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a way out of the Coop that no one else inside it can perceive.
As given on Goodreads.
My thoughts
I've really never read a book like this before. It's incredibly confronting. The risks Balram takes, the cold and calculating judgements he makes are terrifying but are all done to survive and thrive and for a little leg-up in life. I don't know if I love or loathe him because the craziest things seemed like the most reasonable, the way he narrates them to you. And boy does Balram narrate! The tone and gritty edge to the writing will definitely stay with me.
This is a story of the deepest inequalities which exist in India. It's an incredible reflection of what power and privilege mean by journeying through a life without them. Give yourself a few chapters to get used to the intense writing and then hang on for dear life!
About the author
Aravind Adiga was born in 1974 in Madras (now called Chennai), and grew up in Mangalore in the south of India. He was educated at Columbia University in New York and Magdalen College, Oxford. His articles have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, the Sunday Times, the Financial Times, and the Times of India. His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the Man Booker Prize for fiction in 2008. Its release was followed by a collection of short stories in the book titled Between the Assassinations. His second novel, Last Man in the Tower, was published in 2011. His newest novel, Selection Day, was published in 2016.
As written on author's Goodreads profile.
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