The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga

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 Born in the dark heart of India, the protagonist Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village’s wealthiest man. From behind the wheel of their Honda City, Balram observes his employers bribe foreign ministers, barter for girls, drink liquor, and benefit from the poor in society’s unfair class system. Over seven nights he explains how he became a success in life, having nothing but his own wits to help him along.

You ask ‘Are you a man or a demon?’ Neither, I say. I have woken up, and the rest of you are sleeping, and that is the only difference between us.

♥ “At the centre of this book is a touching story about India’s class system and the injustices that come with it. On the surface is Balram Halwai, an amoral, endearing but totally charming protagonist who manages to con his way through life, and into your life as the reader, too. The dark humour ties the reality together and produces a provocative novel. I found this book hard to put down.” – Rachel

♥ “Balram’s outlook and observations provide a look at India that most would not ever see. The dirt, the religion, the prostitutes, the back door politics, ancient and modern cultures colliding. Balram uses the corrupt world to make his own way up in the world, and does so in a charismatic, though not always ethical, way. – Suzy

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Published 2008
HarperCollins
318 pages