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Amazon.co.uk Review
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
Review
"'[An] extraordinary and brilliant first novel... Adiga is a real writer - that is to say, someone who forges an original voice and vision.' Sunday Times * "[A] blazingly savage and brilliant first novel... Not a single detail in this novel rings false or feels confected. The White Tiger is an excoriating piece of work, stripping away the veneer of 'India Rising'... That it also manages to be suffused with mordant wit, modulating to clear-eyed pathos, means Adiga is going places as a writer." - Neel Mukherjee, Sunday Telegraph * "Unlike almost any other Indian novel you might have read in recent years, this page-turner offers a completely bald, angry, unadorned portrait of the country as seen from the bottom of the heap; there's not a sniff of saffron or a swirl of sari anywhere. [Adiga's hero] is an enticing figure... Even more impressive is the nitty-gritty of Indian life that Adiga unearths the corruption, the class system, the sheer petty viciousness... You'll read it in a trice and find yourself gripped." - Andrew Holgate, Sunday Times * "Extraordinary and brilliant... Adiga is a real writer - that is to say, someone who forges an original voice and vision... The voice of Halwai - witty, pithy, ultimately psychopathic... [is] remarkable." - Adam Lively, Sunday Times"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
151 of 158 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Balram Halwai is a poor low-caste Indian, the son of a rickshaw-puller who somehow manages to crawl his way up to be an entrepreneur in Bangalore. He tells his story via a series of letters written to Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier who is about to visit Bangalore. The poor parts of India are referred to as the Darkness which is a world filled with hunger, servitude and life-long debt. Modern Delhi is referred to as the Light. This is a world where men and women grow fat, have air-conditioned cars, mobile phones and guarded apartments with large TVs and computer games. But the Light has some very murky aspects to it - bribery, corruption and murder.
The story is told at a blazing pace. Balram is ambitious and astute. He does well to become a driver for a local landlord's family - but he wants more..... The dilemma for him is whether he can shake off his chains by honest means or whether some blood will have to flow. (I was reminded of A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam in which a widow's only way of keeping her children safe is to commit a crime.)
This is not a comfortable read - it is an angry and subversive book about the new India where any notion of the "trickle-down" theory of wealth creation is well and truly quashed. I am not surprised it won the Booker Prize. As a work of literature it is not as good a piece of work as, say, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (also about poverty in India) but it is funny, satirical and a blistering exposé of globalisation.
The story is told at a blazing pace. Balram is ambitious and astute. He does well to become a driver for a local landlord's family - but he wants more..... The dilemma for him is whether he can shake off his chains by honest means or whether some blood will have to flow. (I was reminded of A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam in which a widow's only way of keeping her children safe is to commit a crime.)
This is not a comfortable read - it is an angry and subversive book about the new India where any notion of the "trickle-down" theory of wealth creation is well and truly quashed. I am not surprised it won the Booker Prize. As a work of literature it is not as good a piece of work as, say, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (also about poverty in India) but it is funny, satirical and a blistering exposé of globalisation.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A lot of this book has remained with me though I read it about a year ago. Some very strong images and unsentimental views of life on the (much) poorer side of Indian life, through the eyes and mouth of one who shows the amazing gumtption to plot his way out of the "darkness" - the almost inescapable poverty and family trap that the majority of indians find themelves in.
So some of the same themes as slumdog millionaire, but in many ways more witty and real - not a fantasy!
So some of the same themes as slumdog millionaire, but in many ways more witty and real - not a fantasy!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book shows India as it really is underneath all the modern glitz and wealth. It shows how the caste system ensures that most Indians never even see inside a shopping mall, never have access to education, sanitation, health care. Only a very few - the white tigers - will break through, and then only in a spectacular and abnormal way.
If anything was going to put me off visiting India, it's this book. I don't want to visit as a tourist and see only the glitz, but I don't think I could stomach the 'real' India - not at my age anyway!
If anything was going to put me off visiting India, it's this book. I don't want to visit as a tourist and see only the glitz, but I don't think I could stomach the 'real' India - not at my age anyway!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Bite Takes Time To Sink In.
I've had to start this book three times over and not because I had completed it each time bequeathing me revelations so profound that re-reading it was a necessity but for the... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Mr. S. Djumpah
The White Tiger
The book paints an horrific picture of modern India. An India of polar opposites, where the rich have taken advantage of the boom in outsourcing to get even richer, while the poor... Read more
Published 12 days ago by EL EMMO
The White Tiger
A fast and brilliant read. Definitely lived up to the hype. Cynical, funny, and rings very true about corruption, urbanisation and 'modernisation' in India.
Published 15 days ago by M. L. Sagov
A powerful story that opens our eyes to the real India
The story line is so simple, almost predictable, and yet White Tiger is an incredibly engaging read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Habeeb
Indian cheekiness!!
The book emphasises the fact that Indian writers are there in the top of the the league. Brilliant insight into the juxtaposition of the rich and poor, urban and rural in this... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Rohit Ravichander
Average
I'm a little bemused by all the rave reviews of this book. I picked it up off my bookshelf as I fancied a taste of the exotic and being transported to India seemed like a good... Read more
Published 2 months ago by pigsmayfly
great story and great introduction to india....
this is a fantastic novel that tells the tale of a poverty stricken young man's rise from the "darkness" of india (the agricultural area) to millionaire savvy businessman in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gcrikey
The White Tiger - a dark tale
I was given this book about 2 years ago because I have been to India twice (for 2 week tours), and am interested in the culture both historic and modern. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Carol Wain
This book is genius - Read it NOW!
I found this book in a market in Amritsar and picked it up for reading on a train journey back down to Pune. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nangu
Gasps of amazement
As a commentary on life in India in the present this book was a revelation. Well written and nicely paced it was a pleasure to read, especially as I was travelling in the country... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ian
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