Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger is an important book.

The White Tiger: A Novel (Man Booker Prize)

I've heard a lot about this book, good and bad, but the most important things were as follows - that Balram Halwai (aka "The White Tiger") is a thoroughly unlikeable protagonist, that the story mostly works on selling India's poverty (like, according to me, Slumdog Millionaire did) and that is very badly written. From the other side of the table were people who said that it was one of the best books ever written in India, that it was thought-provoking, it was enlightening, and most of all that it was a book that I should read. It was with all of this in mind (along with a lot of heavy expectations) that I read this book, and one must assume that my reading of the book as well as my review is colored by the same.

My verdict? A lot of of this is true.

It is a thought-provoking and intelligent book - a statement on India and why we are the way we are. Even extremely patriotic Indians cannot be so ostrich-like that they ignore all that is wrong with India, and it requires a certain amount of hard-heartedness to ignore the plight of the poor people of India - the rickshaw pullers, the servants, the farmers. One cannot pretend that everything is alright with India, but with that in mind I don't think this book went out and targeted that group of Indians and foreigners who like to read about how India is a dirty country with nothing good about it (quite on the contrary). Also, it was different from Slumdog Millionaire in the sense that it actually had a story, and one that was not based completely on that elusive thing called luck but rather by extreme hard work and courage on the part of the hero.

According to me, Balram Halwai is not an unlikeable main character. Sure there were times when I really hated him and when I was disgusted by his thoughts, but there was no time when the writing became so slack that I did not want to know what happened further in his life. You see Balram from his childhood - you see him make some horrible choices and do some horrible things - but you also see the things that shaped him and made him the way he ended up to be and in the end I don't blame him. The secondary characters are also genius, sometimes slightly two-dimensional and not really multi-faceted, but some of them like Ashok come out from the page as real human beings - leaving you unsure on whether you like them or hate them or really on what is right and wrong.

The book is well-written. It is written in the form of letters to a visiting Chinese delegate, with frequent intervals and interludes from Balram Halwai. The writing is clear and crisp and the descriptions (like the chicken coop) are quite brilliant. Technically, I'm sure that no one can refute that Adiga is a very good writer, who has the talent of drawing interesting characters, a reasonable plot, well-described settings, and a good use of language.

Final thoughts: In the end, I found the book very interesting. I'm not old (or really, experienced) enough to know if all of what is written in there is true. I certainly do know that some of it is. The book is depressing, but its also about courage in the face of unbelievable odds, about taking difficult decisions and living through them, and about being a white tiger - someone who comes along just once in a generation. It is a book about change, and progress at its core - in a very uplifting way - and a book that I think all Indians should read.

Other thoughts: Expect a lot of reviews this week and next, because I've been reading a lot (currently reading The Life of Pi by Yann Martel) and have loads of plans for reviews, as well as some time.

30 comments:

  1. Actually i too have heard a lot about this Book.
    Your review will only attract me towards the Book.

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  2. Hi Abhishek,
    I think hate it or love it we all have to read it at least once. Its that kind of book. :)

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  3. Liked the review. Agree with all that you said. I loved the book because it kept me glued till the end, and the hate we feel for the main character is a testimate to the writer's skill. And his narrative technique is excellent!

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  4. Hi,
    I totally agree with what you said. :) I couldn't put the book down even though I had tests.
    Thanks for visiting.

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  5. Oh Nice. This has been in que for long. I think I will pick it up:)

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  6. *Nods* It took me a while too, I first bought it in July (actually my dad did) but I definitely don't regret reading it.

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  7. Yay! Glad you liked the book and didn't hate it for reasons people do (though as you said your thoughts might have been colored by all that you've heard before :)). As I agree with your opinion, I'll say this is a very smart review :D.

    Oh, Life Of Pi??? Cool. Lets wait for your review to come out. I'll give my opinion after that.

    And I've got my hands on Bartimaeus Trilogy. Excited! I usually take days to complete a book, but will try to finish this one fast.

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  8. I reckon you're a little bit young to fully appreciate the depth of the book.
    Even then, your balanced stance surprised me. Good one. You should seriously think about becoming a literary critic ;)
    Personally, I think it's a great book - the kind of books which leave something behind in you.

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  9. @Pavan: I think it was important to point out for this book what I was thinking before hand when I started reading. :) And thanks for the compliment. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Bartimaeus Trilogy as well as the Life of Pi.. :D

    @Gautham: I agree with you. I must freely admit that I don't have nearly enough experience or knowledge to judge this book in its entirety,on the other hand, I did try to judge it to the best of my knowledge. :) Thanks a lot for the compliment - and I agree, its a book that is more than your average book for sure.

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  10. I've been avoiding reading too many reviews about this one, but will def be reading it soon. I liked Life of Pi very much. In a way, it reminds me of Old Man and the Sea.

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  11. Yes, the more you read about it the more biased you might be, as explained above. :)
    The Life of Pi is interesting so far...but a little incredulous...and I've been told it ends badly. :(

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  12. I have read this book a long time ago, I liked the way author presented the main character "Balram Halwai". After reading this book I purchased his another book "Between the Assassinations" yet to start it.

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  13. I agree with you. Balram was a definite grey character, very flawed, but also very sympathetic. And I've heard of Between the Assasinations but never seen it anywhere, maybe I will buy it. :)

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  14. Had read this one a couple years ago when it came out. Agreed that it keeps you glued and is a good travel read, but not a classic material.

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  15. I agree. Its relevant where India is today but is unlikely to be so later on.

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  16. Wonderfully written review!!

    I too loved the book and its dark realities.

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  17. One of the unfinished books in my library! Will finish it in leisure some day :)

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  18. Well written review! I was wowed by the author’s attention to detail but no true Indian will love the plot of the novel. Well, criticism at times is fine but if the whole content turns out to do nothing but criticize the common Indian fellow and his ways, it is blasphemous. I mean, why in the whole world should the protagonist write to Wen Jiabao about his success (yech!) story?

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  19. I don't think that's true Swetha. A true indian must embrace this book because it is not wrong to know that everything we do is not correct. And he writes to Jiabao because of the frequent comparisons between India and China (especially in India).

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  20. Yes, the book is depressing! :)
    Nice review

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  21. That's a great review! I also approached the book with a great deal of skepticism, because I really don't like Indian authors who cater to Western audiences. This book, though, was really good! You can find my review here:
    http://peddlerofdreams.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/book-review-the-white-tiger-arvind-adiga/

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  22. I liked the book, but I didn't love it. You're right; it's not the kind of thing that Slum-dog Millionaire was. I didn't hate the main character; I actually hated the part that I kind of understood him, that I could relate to him, of all people!
    But the book doesn't have a point! It doesn't go much further than telling us all the disturbing truths!
    It is good but it's definitely overrated.

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  23. @Modern Gypsy: I think the fact that so many people hear so much about this book does it more good than bad now. :)

    @Priya: I agree. I didn't hate the main character either...on the other hand, telling disturbing truths may be a point in itself. :P

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  24. After reading this review I feel it wasn't that bad. At least I finished it. And it also kinda had story whose end I wanted to find out.

    But still, to me, it is not a good book.

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  25. Hey Anik,

    I can understand why you think that way. I guess we must agree to disagree. :)

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  26. Loved the book. Check out my review at http://themoonstone.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/the-white-tiger-by-aravind-adiga/

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