serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed White Tiger, particularly for the narrative voice which is strong, irreverent, irrepressible and unapologetic. The narrator is Balram Halwai and this novel unfolds as a series of letters written to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao who is due to visit India to learn why and how it produces so many successful entrepreneurs. Considering himself a successful entrepreneur and wanting to ensure the Chinese premier isn’t misled by government officials, Balram recounts the story of his own rise from promising but poor child to successful businessman by way of stints as a teashop waiter and servant/driver. His story highlights the divisions between rich and poor, the impact of the caste system, corruption, exploitation and abuse of workers, and many other issues in contemporary India. The legacy of colonialism and the impact of global capitalism are clearly evident. It also highlights the necessity of hard work, seizing whatever opportunities can be found, hustling, and - most importantly - looking out for yourself, because no one else will. Balram may believe his road to success is an exemplary one. Given that it involves theft and murder the reader is unlikely to agree. And yet knowing all that Balram was up against, how heavily the odds were stacked against him I found myself having some empathy, if not sympathy, for him. I really wanted him to find a way to reach his dreams and succeed, while deploring the means he took to eventually do so. This novel does not cast India in a favourable light, - the problems it highlights, albeit in a satirical fashion, undeniably exist. So this is an important book, yet it doesn’t feel worthy and dry. And that’s because of the narrator. Amoral and unreliable he may be, but he makes for an enjoyable, compelling and unputdownable reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Classism, and Murder
meganeorcx's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A solid read with many interesting passages. The storytelling format is pretty creative but it didn't always work for me as it jumped from one thing to another too abruptly. Balram's perspective is pretty great to read and there's as much to agree with as to be sceptical about. The societal criticism is the best part of it all but despite being such a political book, sometimes Balram's biggest enemy seemed to be women. There is a lot of misogyny and in a battle between wanting to read another perspective and my own feminism, the latter definitely wins. The White Tiger doesn't have a particularly loveable narrator but nevertheless, I feel glad I finally read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Car accident, Sexism, Misogyny, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Racial slurs, and Islamophobia
kryskross's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Murder, Car accident, and Sexism
claddel's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is dark, well written and pretty intense. I don’t know how real the picture of India is, that it draws but it seems realistic. Worth a read, the author is a talented storyteller.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Classism, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racial slurs
andreazrea's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Car accident
Minor: Alcohol
martinza's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A dark portrait of Indian society from the perspective of the servant class
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Murder, and Physical abuse
mscalls's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Medical content, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
sprucy2427's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thought provoking view of Indian society alongside one man's journey away from his caste. Interesting juxtapositions throughout.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Islamophobia, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Car accident, Child death, Classism, and Death
lasunflower's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Read for Storygraph's Read the World 2022 Challenge: India
Book review contain spoilers - I have tried to hide the biggest ones.
This book was an interesting read: I enjoyed Adiga's commentary on 21st Century India. Through the character of Balram, a man from rural India, Adiga explores the issues of India's modernisation and place in the world and the affects on the traditions of India, such as class/caste and corruption through satire.
Balram is an interesting character as he embodies the rural lower classes of India - the struggle in lifting yourself out of poverty and how the social and familial structures make it difficult to do so. The book poses several questions: does individualism benefit Indian society and individual people? What would one sacrifice in order to gain a better economic life?
As an character, however, Balram is difficult to relate to due to Adiga's satirical tone. Balram is a character through which the reader can gain an insight into Adiga's views on the class issues, but not a character that is likeable in his own right despite the first-person narrative. Balram, though he embodies a class of people struggling out of poverty and whom will do all that it takes to do so, is more a commentator on Indian society rather than someone the reader can relate to.
In particular his view of women (as a female reader) was off putting. The women in the novel are reduced to minor characters - either annoying maternal characters in the case of Balram's grandmother, or most often sexual objects. The main characters who do have a space in the book to give their insight are male and misogynistic, the women of India are not given a voice. It is difficult to know how much of this was ironic/satirical/making a point, and even if this was the case, the women are utilised by Adiga as material objects - to enable Adiga to exhibit (male) greed, corruption and individualism in modern India.
I found I could relate more with Ashok (Balram's master) than Balram himself and poses an interesting partial parallel to Balram.
Book review contain spoilers - I have tried to hide the biggest ones.
This book was an interesting read: I enjoyed Adiga's commentary on 21st Century India. Through the character of Balram, a man from rural India, Adiga explores the issues of India's modernisation and place in the world and the affects on the traditions of India, such as class/caste and corruption through satire.
Balram is an interesting character as he embodies the rural lower classes of India - the struggle in lifting yourself out of poverty and how the social and familial structures make it difficult to do so. The book poses several questions: does individualism benefit Indian society and individual people? What would one sacrifice in order to gain a better economic life?
As an character, however, Balram is difficult to relate to due to Adiga's satirical tone. Balram is a character through which the reader can gain an insight into Adiga's views on the class issues, but not a character that is likeable in his own right despite the first-person narrative. Balram, though he embodies a class of people struggling out of poverty and whom will do all that it takes to do so, is more a commentator on Indian society rather than someone the reader can relate to.
In particular his view of women (as a female reader) was off putting. The women in the novel are reduced to minor characters - either annoying maternal characters in the case of Balram's grandmother, or most often sexual objects. The main characters who do have a space in the book to give their insight are male and misogynistic, the women of India are not given a voice. It is difficult to know how much of this was ironic/satirical/making a point, and even if this was the case, the women are utilised by Adiga as material objects - to enable Adiga to exhibit (male) greed, corruption and individualism in modern India.
I found I could relate more with Ashok (Balram's master) than Balram himself and poses an interesting partial parallel to Balram.
Spoiler
Ashok's tension with corruption poses interesting questions on individualism - suggesting that corruption (in Ashok's case), is a necessary evil for him to maintain his family's status and wealth, despite the obvious damage it does to the people lowest in society. Balram's murder of Ashok is a criticism of this emerging philosophy in Indian society (of course imported from western ideas on capitalism), suggesting that one must be dreadfully cruel to everyone around them to climb the social/economic ladder in India. Balram has the initiative to do all it takes, and is quite happy to do so - Ashok on the other hand exhibits remorse when he is encouraged to bribe the government, though of course he does so anyway.Spoiler
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Excrement, Infidelity, and Islamophobia
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Bullying
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Infidelity, Vomit, Violence, Sexual content, Islamophobia, Colonisation, and Car accident