The White Tiger

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Aravind Adiga

I'm not really a fan of anything about India, especially after figuring out why they have so many films per year (most of them I believe are just movie copies of some successful film from another country-- e.g. 'The Eye' India's version. I shouldn't have forced my dad to watch it if I knew it's just a rerun/version of the Japanese flick, 'The Eye' I've watched years back. I so hate nothing most than I don't even know how to call it, is it still called a revival? Well I do hate lousy revivals that sound like the singer just thought of singing it without really doing something with the song and such 'movie revivals' like this one is just as pathetic no matter how you look at it) and how I was constantly harassed by Indians through ym and friendster, no matter how I tell them as civil as I can that I'm not interested, how they maliciously touch my favorite players from Amazing Race amongst others. But I did notice this article at Time Magazine (I forgot when that issue was released) of an interview with Aravind Adiga, the author of the much successful 'The White Tiger' and winner of the Man Booker Prize. It is about a murderer's 'confession' through a letter sprinkled lavishly with everything, anything about India from the murderer's perspective. I don't know it with you but he had me at the 'M' word.


I may not be a fan of India, but anything that gives a different take of a murderer (His side (Balram's) of the story) would definitely catch my attention. It was very witty, a dark comedy I'd say, and he (Balram) sounded innocent, or sarcastic even (Balram once said that he was a loyal voter though he have never been inside an election booth, haha) and THAT is something that would make me ask for more and wasn't disappointed with it. It was such an oxymoron book, oxy because it's both a happy and sad one, happy, with how he wrote it so fluidly, his descriptions are so vivid, his (Balram') thoughts are so funny and sad, because of all the corruption. I have to constantly remind myself I'm reading about India and not about the Philippines (sarcasm successfully inserted). Now I learned two things: 1. Why some Indian's are against the book 2. Why I find myself cringing when I read the line 'Incredible India'.

It saddens me to learn that these kind of things gets much worse to our neighboring country, and even if IT is fictional, I believe that there IS some truth to it somehow. And the truth is always heightened in reality. And we all thought that our 'kasambahays' had it bad. At least THEY get to go to malls. This extends to drivers as well. At least some drivers get to dine with their bosses. They may be on a separate table but at least they are. I didn't even know that the caste system is that extreme. I do know about some story about this rich Indian guy eloping with an Indian actress separated by their caste and their respective family who so believes in it. And to think the closest heaven and earth story would be in our country is some rich guy and his yaya!

Besides the story there is a bonus printed interview of Adiga in which he said that he is concerned as a writer to make it enjoyable rather than make the reader feel that he has to. And I agree. I enjoyed it. Read it too. You'd never regret that *200+php. I assure it.


*There are two paperback versions, 200+ (red) and the 400+ (white)version. I chose the red one because I can't see the difference other than the paper used. If the white version is in hardbound I would have bought it. ^_^