The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It's a book of twists and turns with a somewhat unreliable narrator in Balram Halwai, son of a rickshaw-puller, who "makes it big". Balram comes from very humble origins in a tiny village on the River Ganges, and dreams of escape. His opportunity comes when he becomes the chauffeur for a rich village landlord and ends up in Delhi. Despite working for a well-heeled couple, his living conditions are appalling, as is his treatment on most days. However, he slowly climbs the ladder at the expense of other servants, and he sees his pay increase. But instead of sending money home to help his family, he spends it on booze and prostitutes. As he observes the wealth, the corruption, and what appears to be an insurmountable division between the haves and the have nots, he becomes more and more determined to better himself, which leads him down the dark road to murder. Personally, I found this a hard read at times. The main character of Balram is not easy to like or admire as the book goes on, and the darkness of life for many in India is in no way sugar coated. There are some lighter moments, but not many. However, the detailed and atmospheric writing, as well as the fearless nature of the narrative, is something to be admired.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 328 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; audio CD; ebook.
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