Book Read: The White Tiger
Towards the end of this debut novel, its voluble, digressive, murderous protagonist makes a prediction: “White men will be finished in my lifetime,” he tells us. “In 20 years time it will just be us brown and yellow men at the top of the pyramid, and we’ll rule the world.” He’s talking about the phenomenon at the heart of this dazzling narrative: the emergence of that much-heralded economic powerhouse, the “new India”. - David Mitton
After the Slap and The Bell Jar I moved onto reading The White Tiger- the winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008.
India is presented as a place of brutal injustice and sordid corruption, where the poor are always depressed and suppressed, the rich often filthy and empty. I find the depiction of the character and the city colorful and intense, yet not necessarily as realistic as many reviews have promised.
Given this is a debut novel the author has done a great job. The story isn’t perfect yet believable enough.Despite the difficult issues it attempts to touch on, it is easy-to-read and entertaining .
ONE THING does put me off- Aravind Adiga has his face printed on the inside of the back cover- if I had seen it before I bought the book it wouldn’t be on my shelf now. I hope it is the publisher’s idea, not his.
Yes, like this. eww.
next read: Mr. Rosenblum’s List by Natasha Solomons.
