The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is one of the best novels I've read. As his debut novel, Adiga, who won the Man Booker prize in 2008, garnered a lot of success after the publishing of this book. The novel revolves around an Indian, Balram Halwai, and how he manages to become a successful entrepreneur in a very short period of time, seven nights to be precise. The book follows his journey in modern day India and his attempt to reach his goal. The anticipation and fear of whether Balram achieves what he has in mind is what keeps you on the edge. Balram, the protagonist of the book, is an average Indian but with high hopes of accomplishing great things in his life. He is a very interesting character; he is unique and has his own charisma that differentiates him from other people.
The novel also touches upon various sociopolitical themes, including the poverty of the working class, the religious tensions between Muslims and Hindus and the corruption in the politics and economy of India. The most important theme in the novel is the emergence from darkness to light which represents Balram and his character.
The reader is introduced to India from a different angle; Adiga discusses details that only locals might have an idea of, many of which came as a shock to me. It is as if the reader is taken into a journey through his life and along the way learns very interesting facts about the Indian community. I personally found the details extremely interesting; the cultural, religious and educational details presented in the novel are brilliant, and the ways in which Adiga delivers the information to the reader is what makes it so special. Balram gets himself into a lot of situations and by solving them the reader discovers more about Balram as an individual and India as a community.
I would definitely recommend this novel for anyone interested in getting a closer look at the Indian society. Not only does it introduce you to a whole new different world, but you will actually feel sorry for the unfortunate people mentioned in the story, who represent individuals in the Indian society. This novel is a good "pick me up" for when you feel that you're losing hope. The White Tiger is a great book and I'm positive that once you read the first couple of pages, you won't be able to stop.
– Fajer Al-Farsi
