WorldInColour

I'm not sure whether all the information provided in 'The White Tiger' is really correct. Adiga has obviously chosen an approach that is packed with social criticism. I haven't listed all the small attacks on India, but you can take my word for it; Adiga does not like what is going on in his country.

The story of Balram Halwai is supposed to be symbolic for this. Again, I'm hesitant to accept this story as being representative, although I'm sure that at least some of it is right. Balram tries to escape the caste system of India and get higher up the social ladder, and his endeavours are somewhat problematic to say the least. It reminded me of such picaro novels as [b:La vida del Lazarillo de Tormes|61794|La vida del Lazarillo de Tormes|Anonymous|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1170593015s/61794.jpg|362] or [b:The Adventures of Gil Blas|7480592|The Adventures of Gil Blas|Alain-René Lesage|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347768135s/7480592.jpg|9592435], this time in an Indian jacket.

Although decent and occasionally rather funny, it's not a world-changing story, and because the tone used by Adiga to describe India is so vicious, I don't really think I'm in the right place to fully appreciate this book. I know virtually nothing about India. For those of you who have been there: what was your image? And does it comply with the image sketched by Adiga in 'The White Tiger'? I'd be interested to know.