Summary: The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the Man Booker Prize in the same year. The novel provides a dark comical view of modern day life in India through the narration of Balram Halwai, the main character. The overall main theme of the novel is the contrast between India's rise as a modern global economy and the working class people who live in crushing rural poverty. Other themes touched on include corruption endemic to Indian society and politics, familial loyalty versus independence, religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims, the experience of returning to India after living in America, globalization, and the tensions between India and China as superpower countries in Asia.
I thought this was a fantastic book as did everyone at Bookgroup (well, those who read it). We agreed that it was hard to get into but then you got suckered right in. It is just so hard to believe that people live so differently to what we do over here. A really fascinating insight into India.
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