Meet Balram Halwai, the 'White Tiger': servant, philosopher, entrepreneur and murderer. Balram, 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 a rich village landlord needs a chauffeur, he takes his opportunity, and is soon on his way to Delhi behind the wheel of a Honda. Amid the cockroaches and call-centres, the 36,000,004 gods, the slums, the shopping malls, and the crippling traffic jams, Balram learns of a new morality at the heart of a new India. Driven by desire to better himself, he comes to see how the Tiger might escape his cage...
The White Tiger
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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
166 of 173 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.
10 of 10 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!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In contrast to the main character of The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga received an extensive education from some of the best institutions available-Columbia undergrad and then Oxford. In his book, however, Balram Halwai, the White Tiger or sweet maker, grows up with a very minimal education, scratching by barely with the ability to read in a system designed, it seems to keep one ignorant rather than to educate. In fact the whole system of castes in India, in modern day India, through the eyes of Balram, tends to rigidly, forcefully and cruelly keep one either in the category of servant and poverty or of the privileged and well-off. To a minimal extent Balram bucks the system and rises above his father and becomes a driver for a wealthy family. Even the wealthy, however, must maintain their businesses and position through a corrupt system of bribes to politicians who stay in power through a democracy that disenfranchises certainly the poor and perhaps others as well.
The book is written well with energy and a steady string of either interesting or amusing anectdotes as Balram progresses from "the darkness" or poor, rural India to Delhi which appears as a city in a state of rapid but chaotic modernization where buildings are rising steadily for either malls or job centers for outsourced work from countries like the US. Again the inequities abound for Balram,the driver, and those like him, and the superior castes appear anything but. The book is fast-paced and entertaining.
The book is written well with energy and a steady string of either interesting or amusing anectdotes as Balram progresses from "the darkness" or poor, rural India to Delhi which appears as a city in a state of rapid but chaotic modernization where buildings are rising steadily for either malls or job centers for outsourced work from countries like the US. Again the inequities abound for Balram,the driver, and those like him, and the superior castes appear anything but. The book is fast-paced and entertaining.
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This little book came as quite a surprise to me. The standard of Indian literature being notoriously variable, I still never expected such a wonderfully assured novel in the mainstream.
It's not the usual arm-breakingly thick treatise most Indian authors seem to think necessary, just an ordinary novel. It's not riddled with obscure English words that would double the reading time if you looked them all up, it's just well-written. It doesn't need to write the history and geography of India, it just uses them as the backdrop. In short, it's very readable.
The central character is a likeable chap, whatever his sins, and the story is a good one, of his rise from the gutter and crimes committed upon him and by him. It's written in epistolary form, and therefore, almost by necessity, in the first person, and he's a very honest first person. He is not above pettiness, but almost rejoices in describing his own faults. I don't even remember half of the books I read, but I remember this one very well. It's a rare pleasure, like a white tiger.
It's not the usual arm-breakingly thick treatise most Indian authors seem to think necessary, just an ordinary novel. It's not riddled with obscure English words that would double the reading time if you looked them all up, it's just well-written. It doesn't need to write the history and geography of India, it just uses them as the backdrop. In short, it's very readable.
The central character is a likeable chap, whatever his sins, and the story is a good one, of his rise from the gutter and crimes committed upon him and by him. It's written in epistolary form, and therefore, almost by necessity, in the first person, and he's a very honest first person. He is not above pettiness, but almost rejoices in describing his own faults. I don't even remember half of the books I read, but I remember this one very well. It's a rare pleasure, like a white tiger.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't believe to what extent this novel has divided opinion. Personally, I found it a great read and was completely swept along with the story of Balram Halwai 'bettering himself'. Born the son of a rickshaw puller, he dreams of escaping from the poverty that is everywhere in the place he calls 'the darkness'. He quickly rises up through the ranks to become a driver, then a chauffeur and finally a wealthy entrepreneur in Bangalore. But as he reveals in the opening pages, having committed a brutal murder to get to where he is, this is no ordinary boy-done-good story.
The tale is a simple one and straightforward to read. It's told in a series of letters from Balram to the Chinese premier (from one great man to another, I'm sure the main character would feel!). I was impressed with the author's ability to incorporate topics such as globalisation, exploitation of the poor and the rise of new superpowers into the story of this one man's life.
There has been much discussion about whether or not the bleak picture of India painted is an accurate one. It's going to be an impossible task for any author to portray a country that will accurately represent all the people that call it home. Having had the opportunity to travel to India I certainly recognised the stark differences between the rich and the poor and smiled at the memory of the groups of drivers standing around laughing and teasing one another while their rich employers shopped in the air-conditioned department stores. Sadly the warmth of the Indian people I experienced didn't come across in this story but then this is a work of fiction and wouldn't have fitter with the story Adiga wanted to tell.... Read more ›
The tale is a simple one and straightforward to read. It's told in a series of letters from Balram to the Chinese premier (from one great man to another, I'm sure the main character would feel!). I was impressed with the author's ability to incorporate topics such as globalisation, exploitation of the poor and the rise of new superpowers into the story of this one man's life.
There has been much discussion about whether or not the bleak picture of India painted is an accurate one. It's going to be an impossible task for any author to portray a country that will accurately represent all the people that call it home. Having had the opportunity to travel to India I certainly recognised the stark differences between the rich and the poor and smiled at the memory of the groups of drivers standing around laughing and teasing one another while their rich employers shopped in the air-conditioned department stores. Sadly the warmth of the Indian people I experienced didn't come across in this story but then this is a work of fiction and wouldn't have fitter with the story Adiga wanted to tell.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Aravind Adiga White Tiger
I read this book but did not enjoy it. The language was not good enough. I cannot understand why it got the prize. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Z. M. Snarey
1.0 out of 5 stars
I have not read the book. It will be a while when I get round to...
The Star marking is not relevant - clicked on the star to add my comment. I have no further comments to add except the delivery was quick and efficient.
Published 17 days ago by Cyddiqueh Namazie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Not the sort of thing I would usually read, but loved the style. It told me a lot about India too.
Published 1 month ago by Georgeliot
5.0 out of 5 stars
thought provoking
A book of our time. Sinister and unwittingly benign at the same time. I was left feeling disturbed by the story but found it powerful.
Published 1 month ago by jenny Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good read and a depressingly plausible view of another world
This was chosen for our book group and it isn't a book I'd have otherwise considered. It's well written and compelling. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dr. W. S. Affleck
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful read
Simply an intriguing story. The reading-of-a-letter style draws one into a private world of secrets & disclosure's. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Helen Robinson-Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars
An insight into India
This was an unusual book for me. I have read the Life of Pi and this book gave a similar but more in depth look at the life and infrastructure of some of the poorer people of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs J Chaney
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspired buy
I bought this because I fancied a harder read than normal and it was the deal of the day. It was very readable and the style was gripping. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Trevor Whincup
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suppper!
I've read rather devoured it for the second time! It's an excellent book in that gives a valid insight to recent India and how people survive in rural areas and their struggle for... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Faika Kalafat
5.0 out of 5 stars
White tiger audio
I love the book and wanted to share it with my husband by audio. I don't think he appreciated it as much as I hoped, but the audio is just as good. Read more
Published 1 month ago by RosieT
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