Book Review: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

 

The tale of Balram Halwai was told in The White Tiger. While Balram's family was extremely impoverished, his forefathers were Halwai the confectioners. His dad operated an autorickshaw. They all resided in the corrupt politician and landlord-filled village of Laxmangarh. Except for Balram, it appears that every villager is content with the current circumstances. Balram's desire for wealth is heightened by the loss of his father. Balram's grandma Kusum wishes for him to marry, but he turns her down and flees to Delhi. He learnt to drive in Delhi, and happily he finds work as a driver for Mr. Ashok, the son of one of the landlords in his village.

Balram resolves to become increasingly wealthy so that no one can ignore him after failing to cure his father of tuberculosis. Balram becomes close to Mr. Ashok, his master, on his path to wealth. In our narrative, Mr. Ashok appears to be a modest individual. Everything proceeds as planned, but one day Balam violently killed Mr. Ashok. Why did Balram kill Mr. Ashok? This book provides a lovely, scientifically sound, and fascinating response to this.

Overview: 

Despite the fact that this book is mostly strategic in nature. Although there is a significant subplot to assassinate Mr. Ashok, I found the quick paced and suspenseful action to be pretty entertaining. You will be captivated by the plot by the characters. I read it in two sittings, which suggests something about the quality of the narrative.

What would have been better: 

Because I was unfamiliar with the premise and the author's writing style, I was first not sure that I wanted to finish this story. I can't stop thinking about the plot after the first chapter, though. The characters go by several names, including Stork and others, and the civilization is both confusing and fascinating. they are all interchangeable, and I was perplexed by the specifics of the futuristic technology.

Ahead of it's time: 

The major characters formed interpersonal interactions with various persons a few times, which I counted as three or four times. A married man spends the evening with his former lover or buddy. Subsequently, the character pursues a Ukrainian beauty in order to fulfill his dreams. There are many heartwarming and horrifying situations in this novel. This story contains numerous sexual scenes and foul language. There are scenes including disputes and occasional violence.

What worked well was:

To be honest, I haven't seen world-building like this in any speculative fiction before. The only author of Hindi literature with exquisite details in his books is Munshi Premchandra. Arvind Adiga possesses the bravery to discuss genuine Indian issues including racism, poverty, the caste system, and unpleasant societal realities. The world appeared genuine. Not only was it realistic and physically accurate, but it also felt plausible in theory. No, this world was as solid as physical reality, and the personalities and civilizations were anything like the typical bland assortment. We had subcultures and disputes amongst each other, and those cultures changed and grew down the river in a way that was unique to each of us.

Quotes:-

" I am not an original thinker but I am an original listener."

Only three nations have never let themselves be ruled by foreigners: China, Afghanistan, and Abyssinia. These are the only three nations I admire."

Four greatest poets of all time- Rumi, Iqbal, Mirza Ghalib, and a fourth fellow whose name I forget." Entrepreneurs are like sponges- they absorb and grow."

" The desire to be a servant had been bred into me; hammered into my skull, nail after nail, and poured into my blood, the way sewage and Industrial poison are poured into Mother Ganga."

" The history of the world is the history of a ten thousand year war of brains between the rich and the poor."

" There is honesty among thieves."