The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

[vxf]

I downloaded this almost randomly last night. Was looking for some light reading - and I browsed a bit the list of winners of the Booker Prize.

What a happy discovery. I went through half of the book last night - so maybe I should wait to finish it before posting... yet so far I am absolutely enthusiastic.

It's written with humor, yet it obviously is a very sharp portrait of a slice of modern India. The book is light reading by all means, and on the short side - but very enjoyable, at times laugh-out-loud funny, it does not take itself too seriously while describing a dramatic reality.

I will post more once I finish it. But for everyone looking for a night or two of enjoyment and possibly some insight into modern India, this is a must.

The overview from SONY's store (where I bought it) follows:

Introducing a major literary talent, The White Tiger offers a story of coruscating wit, blistering suspense, and questionable morality, told by the most volatile, captivating, and utterly inimitable narrator that this millennium has yet seen.

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.

Balram's eyes penetrate India as few outsiders can: the cockroaches and the call centers; the prostitutes and the worshippers; the ancient and Internet cultures; the water buffalo and, trapped in so many kinds of cages that escape is (almost) impossible, the white tiger. And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, Balram teaches us that religion doesn't create virtue, and money doesn't solve every problem -- but decency can still be found in a corrupt world, and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations.

Sold in sixteen countries around the world, The White Tiger recalls The Death of Vishnu and Bangkok 8 in ambition, scope, and narrative genius, with a mischief and personality all its own. Amoral, irreverent, deeply endearing, and utterly contemporary, this novel is an international publishing sensation -- and a startling, provocative debut.

[FlorenceArt]

I read this book a while ago and liked it, but I don't remember it as funny, exactly. It does have a lot of humor, but the situations described are rather dismal, and this is the main impression I retained. Not that this is a bad thing, it was a real eye-opener, and it is told with a lot of humor, as you said. A very good book, though I wasn't as enthusiastic as you are myself.

Enjoy the rest of the book

[ski_power]

I too read this book quite some time ago (probably launch) but I did not like it. I don't know why but I just seem tired of people portraying India much worse than it really it. I know its fiction, and its probably my non-willingness to suspend belief but I felt some parts to be pretty dark and ruthless.

P.S. I must respectfully disagree with your statement "some insight into modern India", but now see that you have included the word "possibly"
Also, if you like this book then probably you might like one by Chetan Bhagat called (looks on the interwebs) aah..yes.. titled "The Three Mistakes of My Life"

[lila55]

This book I read a while ago and also enjoyed it very much. It has the sort of tongue-in-cheek humor which appeals to me.
His other one "Between the Assassinations" is now also on my tbr-list.

[Peadar Ó Guilín]

I loved it. What a great book. And I would agree with those who found it humorous -- in a horrifying way. Rather than being an insight into India, as such, I think it's quite universal in its exploration of the relationship between the rich and the poor everywhere and in every time.

[Helen Smith]

I enjoyed it, too. Didn't realise he had another one out. I look out for Between the Assassinations. Has anyone read that?