Readers' Group Reviews

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Discussed 2 May, 2012 by the Leominster Library Readers' Group
 
This novel, set in contemporary India, tells the story of how Balram, a poor village boy, rises to  fortune servicing the call centre industry in Bangalore.  The normal fate of such a boy would have been to labour the rest of his life in the job assigned to him by the caste he was born into, but Balram is early identified as a white tiger, an exceptional being.  He is one of the very few  who manage to escape the stranglehold of traditional Indian society . which keeps the poor firmly in their place at the bottom.
 
In his first person confessional narrative, Balram  makes no secret of the fact that he was only enabled to set up in business by murdering his immediate employer and stealing the bag of money which was to be used to bribe government officials.  By the time the murder occurs, Balram's employers  have revealed themselves as so corrupt, unscrupulous and unfeeling that the reader almost feels that the death was justified
 
The group found this a compelling book.  Characters and situations were convincing, and wondering when and how the murder would occur kept readers glued to the narrative.  The author paints a dismaying picture of the corruption underlying India's much vaunted democracy, and shows us how it perverts even the innocent and well-meaning.  This well written and gripping tale is an indictment of Indian society.  A powerful and angry book