“The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga (India)

Book Club Favourite of Season 10

Review

From the opening pages of the book, readers were drawn into the tale Balram is telling to the Chinese Premier by the humour and irony he uses. It had them laughing from the start. Although not all the readers warmed to Balram, most found him a compelling character. They felt the narrative was well structured, as his story moves from childhood and the death of his mother, to being taken out of school and sent to work in a teashop, to becoming a driver and ending up in Delhi where the desire to escape the Rooster Coop leads him to murder. They liked some of the secondary characters, such as Vitiligo Lips and Pinky Madam, who although somewhat clichéd they felt added to the humour. The many scenes of Balram’s journey from the Darkness were really well described, using small details (the red bag, the whisky bottle) that readers found brought them vividly to life. They appreciated the portrayal of corruption in Indian society and some readers could understand, without condoning it, the violent act Balram committed as the only means to escape from his circumstances. The book averaged an 8.5 out of 10.

Synopsis

Balram Halwai, the White Tiger, was born in a backwater village on the River Ganges, the son of a rickshaw-puller. He works in a teashop, crushing coal and wiping tables, but nurses a dream of escape. When he learns that Mr Ashok, the son of a rich village landlord needs a driver, he takes his opportunity, and is soon on his way to Delhi. The city is a revelation. As he drives his master to shopping malls and call centres, Balram becomes increasingly aware of immense wealth and opportunity all around him, while knowing that he will never be able to gain access to that world. As Balram broods over his situation, he realizes that there is only one way he can become part of this glamorous new India – by murdering his master.

Favourite Quotes

The dreams of the rich, and the dreams of the poor – they never overlap, do they? See, the poor dream all their lives of getting enough to eat and looking like the rich. And what do the rich dream of? Losing weight and looking like the poor.

… the future of the world lies with the yellow man and the brown man now that our erstwhile master, the white-skinned man, has wasted himself through buggery, mobile phone usage, and drug abuse.

Season 10 – “First Novels” (Sep 2009 – Jan 2010)

“The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga (India) *
“The Blood of Flowers” by Anita Amirrezvani (Iran)
“Lost City Radio” by Daniel Alarcon (Peru)
“Nervous Conditions” by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) *
“Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison (U.S.)

Extra book:
“The Vagrants” by Yiyun Li (China)

* The book club favourites
In italics, Nicola’s Coup de Cœur

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Re-read in February 2020 as part of the 2020 Vision Read-a-thon

Loved the book. Very readable & light, but sharp & thoughtful. Couldn’t help but like Balram. Fun way to tell a story & I liked that he was writing to the chinese official. Probably depressingly accurate portrayal of how Indian (& other?) society is rigged & how otherwise totally inexcusable acts seem to be justifiable from their lived experience of injustice – he tried so hard to warn his victim. – Jana

Really enjoyed this unusual book that was really insightful into life ‘behind the scenes’ in India. I liked Balram’s voice and that it felt somewhat personal in the way he addressed the reader. The pace was good and also allowed the story to move reasonably quickly, and also hold interest. Highly recommended!! – Janine

A bit of “Crime and Punishment” meets Bangalore. I didn’t love the presentment – letters to a visiting diplomat – but found the underlying story interesting in its portrayal of “dark India” and the barriers to escaping it. – Brian

There are a lot of books with setting India. This one I liked very much. Good storytelling and Balram is a multifaceted character with interesting life path. – Rada