The White Tiger

Winning the Man Booker prize is something that most authors dream of, although -- ironically -- the reputation of the prize itself was under siege a few years ago. Books that won the award were acquiring a reputation of being difficult and inaccessible, but those days appear to be over -- and unarguable proof may be found in the 2008 winner, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Apart from its considerable literary merit, the novel is the most compelling of pageturners (in the old-fashioned sense of that phrase) and offers a picture of modern India that is as evocative as it is unflattering. The protagonist, too, is drawn in the most masterly of fashion.

Balram Halwai, the eponymous `white tiger', is a diminutive, overweight ex-teashop worker who now earns his living as a chauffeur. But this is only one side of his protean personality; he deals in confidence scams, over-ambitious business promotions (built on the shakiest of foundations) and enjoys approaching life with a philosophical turn of mind. But is Balram also a murderer? We learn the answer as we devour these 500 odd pages. Born into an impoverished family, Balram is removed from school by his parents in order to earn money in a thankless job: shop employee. He is forced into banal, mind-numbing work. But Balram dreams of escaping -- and a chance arises when a well-heeled village landlord takes him on as a chauffeur for his son (although the duties involve transporting the latter's wife and two Pomeranian dogs). From the rich new perspective offered to him in this more interesting job, Balram discovers New Delhi, and a vision of the city changes his life forever. His learning curve is very steep, and he quickly comes to believe that the way to the top is by the most expedient means. And if that involves committing the odd crime of violence, he persuades himself that this is what successful people must do.

The story of the amoral protagonist at the centre of this fascinating narrative is, of course, what keeps the reader comprehensively gripped, but perhaps the real achievement of the book is in its picture of two Indias: the bleak, soul-destroying poverty of village life and the glittering prizes to be found in the big city. The book cleverly avoids fulfilling any of the expectations a potential reader might have -- except that of instructing and entertaining. The White Tiger will have many readers anxious to see what Adiga will do next. --Barry Forshaw

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less of a tiger more of a weasel - Rated
It's a mystery to me how this book was winner of the 2008 Man Booker prize. I struggled through the first 100 pages, mainly because of the awkward premise that the first person narrator style was in a letter to the Chinese premier before his impending visit to India. The main character is despicable, as are all the characters in this indictment of Indian society. By the end of the book I was gripped by the corruption of India and the untrustworthiness of almost every individual appearing in the story. That is to say that the subject matter of a society alien to Westerners remains interesting and it is well written. Where it fails compared to Q&A or Colours of the Mountain is that the pretext for telling the story is flimsy and the general plot inconclusive. There must be a million tales like this out there.

White but no light - Rated
I found Adiga's Booker-winning debut hugely disappointing. I think the idea is to present a vision of the changing India, and the dark side of that - very "fin-de-post-colonialism", etc., etc. However, the novel was simply relentlessly depressing. The narrator has no redeeming feature, and few of the other characters do. Now, it's not just that happy stories make good literature, of course; but there is a serious lack of tension - in literary and moral terms - when either the bad guys win, or some other bad buy wins instead, if you get my point. Was this gritty and witty? I just found it sad and hard, and hard work. None of the wit of "Life of Pi", or the hope within the pain of "Q and A" (="Slumdog", in the post-film version), to make two comparisons. Not a worthy Booker winner for me, I am afraid.

Very Funny & Great Entertainment - Rated
I recently read this book on holiday and couldn't put it down. It's very funny and a great read. It's also a bit different. All round great entertainment!

Balram Halwai: "the rarest of animals--the creature that comes along only once in a generation." - Rated
Young Balram Halwai, describing himself as "The White Tiger, A Thinking Man, And an Entrepreneur" in Bangalore, has decided to tell the story of his short life to Premier Wen Jiabao of China, who is about to visit the city. In a long letter to Jiabao, written over the course of a week, Balram describes his childhood, his escape from rural Darkness to the city, his slow journey from poverty into a servitude which pays him enough to survive, and ultimately his successful entrepreneurship in Bangalore. He is also a wanted man, with his face on posters.

A black-humored study of India from the point of view of an undereducated boy who yearns to be free, Balram's narrative explores the class divides: "These days, there are just two castes: Men with Big Bellies, and Men with Small Bellies." The Big-Belly class includes all public officials, large business owners, and judges, all of whom (in this novel) enhance their salaries by extortion, the private sale of public property, and/or the acceptance of bribes. Dealing harsh and sometimes fatal penalties to the Small-Bellies who cross them, these criminals are among the most successful "entrepreneurs" in the country.

Though a promising student, Balram must give up a scholarship and drop out of school to work, breaking coals at a tea shop to help pay a money-lender for his sister's wedding. When he eventually hears that taxi drivers can earn a good living in the city, he persuades his grandmother to help finance a driving course and moves to the city, where he works for Mr. Ashok and his wife Pinky Madam, as the second driver and servant. He receives a salary, his meals, and a place to live in exchange. Since he has few complaints about his treatment, his crime against Mr. Ashok, his employer, which we learn in the first few pages of the novel, seems inexplicable, at first. Adiga, however, has cleverly organized the novel to parallel Balram's increasing awareness of how he is being used, along with his growing understanding of what he needs to do to become a Big-Belly. Working for Mr. Ashok, Balram keeps his eyes and ears open, does what he is told, and looks for a way to escape his servitude.

Adiga creates a unique look at Indian society, one in which the poor Balram, is suddenly exposed to the world of the wealthy, having virtually no contact with the middle-class now burgeoning in India. This creates dramatic contrasts in description and characterization, which the author emphasizes through his dark humor, and as suspense builds throughout the novel about how and why Balram commits his crime, the reader sees that Balram recognizes that such a crime offers him his only chance at freedom. Though Balram has been a lovable rogue for much of the book, no one will empathize with him as he commits his crime. And therein lies the greatest strength of the book. Because Balram has elicited our sympathy for most of the book, our shock is increased by his actions, and that, in turn, re-emphasizes the hopelessness of the poor in the face of widespread corruption by the Big Bellies in control. n Mary Whipple

Masters and servants - Rated
Although it does reveal a lot of interesting stuff about India, rural and urban, the central strength of the novel is the relationships - between the main character and his family (who he basically abandons) but even more with his wealthy employer/master. This is really a book about servants and is in the long tradition of outwardly well meaning but ultimately bad masters getting their communpance from the abler and less than scrupulous servant. The whole package is convincing and satisfying, including the probably very rough justice that resolves things.