Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

The White Tiger

By Aravind Adiga  

A shocking, disturbing, blunt account of the hidden life in India. The language was raw - language that I usually wouldn't accept in a book of my choice. However in this case it emphasised the poverty, frustration and cruelty of the underclass and served a purpose. The book is brilliantly written - a novel way of bringing out the corruption and cruelty of the upper class. The oppression of the landlords was difficult to accept and yet I believed it. Wrapping up the feudal system in a 'family' cloak made it even worse. The characters in the  book were vividly portrayed and 'lived' for me: the women, headmaster, landlords, the rich son with his Americanised wife and the father playing on  the loyalty aspect of the feudal system showed up the underside - the 'dark' part of India. When it came to the murder and  the theft of money,  although my upbringing and beliefs say both were wrong, I couldn't help but feel that Balram was not doing it out of hate but because he could see he was about to be thrown back onto the scrap heap and this was the only possible way for him to live as a  free man. 10/10

This is an amazing novel that is both horrifying and disturbing. The images of modern India that the author creates make uncomfortable reading very different from those painted in the time of the Raja. The book is brilliantly written with descriptions that are harsh and sometimes sleazy: not always for the faint hearted. I asked myself if this is really the India of today with its widespread corruption, dire poverty and still existing caste system. 10/10

I loved the idea of writing this as a report to the Chinese Premier's Office knowing he will just be shown the 'rich and best' side of India during his visit. From what I have heard about the poor in India I would reckon that all Aravind writes gives a true picture of the poor and worst  side. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It was harder to take when Balram did not just observe but was corrupted himself: it made uncomfortable reading but really proved the points the author was making. 7+/10