On a mild May evening with the Duomo silhouetted against the sky at sunset an almost unprecedented number of Book Club members met at Localita’ Serra. After a sumptuous supper, but before an equally delicious dessert, the book up for discussion was The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.
It is a rags to riches story set in India. The low caste son works and then murders his way to success, destroying, literally, his family in the process. In epistolary form as unsent instructional letters to the Chinese premier, its satiric premise is that India and China are the new frontier and will prevail over the west.
Many readers have first person experience in India and comments were insightful.
Elliot found it vivid at all levels, the primitive vs. flash city life, grinding ahead you could smell India coming out of every page. Themes exploited, extraordinary contrast of poverty and privilege, no recognition as to the dichotomy on the part of the elite, strong sense of exploitation even within the family, exemplified by old crone grandmother with an 18th C. sense of morality. Was the protagonist a hero, likable? But he gets away with murder, conscience? Clever, smart, adept, lucky, beat the system. Good story, well told; Janet enjoyed its insights, it was vivid. Marijke, fascinating, written well, well told recognized Granny, she makes the rules, murder justified?; Cynthia, can’t say she liked it, it has opened her eyes to the situation in India which she knows well, chauffeur had a sense of humor, motivated by ambition, met pity in the eyes of the master, an epiphany; Pietro, realistic, two worlds, injustice, corruption, cycle, is killing justified? Retribution, sympathy.; Bill, have you improved your soul in any way? Knows in southern India you accept your lot in life, descriptive; Krysia, initially didn’t like it, didn’t identify, but ultimately found it a brilliant social, political statement. A completely different reality, sucked into that mentality, why wouldn’t they rebel?; Isobel enjoyed the book until the murder by which integrity was lost; Helen recognized the corruption, money never getting where it was going, invisibility. Brilliantly described but his moral code was unacceptable, unforgivable. Salene, Irritated by 1st person narrative, stirred strong emotions, distrust, loyalty. The chandelier image of gaudy light verses the ‘darkness’; Steve, clever story about the ills of India, painted a picture clearly of nepotism, corruption, a social statement on a larger scale, same thing happening vis a vis Brazil, Africa, inequality; Barbara, character’s sense of morality changes, justifies killing, corruption manipulating the system, but only helping him; Boo, recognized the business corruption element, author captured the essence very well, turned when he was accused of murder, is unconscionable; Brian, cleverly constructed, likable villain, entrepreneurialism vs heavy socialism, complex, astonishing, conflict, fear, physical cowardice, vulnerability, betrayal.
All in all a stirring read.
Books worth mentioning for the reading list:
A Question of Loyalties, Allan Massie
The Reader on the 6.27, Jean-Paul Didierlaurent
The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro
The upcoming meetings are as follows:
June 15 The Writing on My Forehead, Nafisa Haji, at Bill and Cynthia's
Sunday Lunch, July 24 at Janet and Elliot's, Doctor Thorne, Anthony Trollope
September, The Miniturist, Jessie Burton
Thank you to everyone who contributed.
