The White Tiger : A Novel
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
No saris. No scents. No spices. No music. No lyricism. No illusions.
This is India now.
Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life—having nothing but his own wits to help him along. Born in a village in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for a wealthy man, two Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son.
Through Balram's eyes, we see India as we've never seen it before: the cockroaches and the call centers, the prostitutes and the worshippers, the water buffalo and, trapped in so many kinds of cages that escape is (almost) impossible, the white tiger. And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, he teaches us that religion doesn't create morality and money doesn't solve every problem—but decency can still be found in a corrupt world, and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Indian novelist Aravind Adiga exploded onto the international literary scene with this razor-sharp satire of what one man is willing to do to join the ranks of the wealthy elite. Born a rickshaw puller’s son in rural northwest India, Balram Halwai tells us how he rose through the social ranks from a destitute childhood spent working in a teahouse to chauffeuring a wealthy businessman to finally opening his own lucrative car service. The only catch is that along the way, he had to betray his family, abandon his dignity, learn the fine art of bribery, and literally commit murder. Adiga portrays Balram’s ambition and misdeeds in a darkly funny and sometimes shocking way. We also adored the flowing rhythms of Adiga’s prose, which veteran narrator John Lee handles with precise and thoughtful pacing. The White Tiger is a wildly entertaining story about the price of getting ahead.
