The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Date: 1 March 2009
ISBN: 1843547228

At my latest reading group The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga was met with mixed reviews. One thing we did all agree on was Adiga's ability to describe India, the Caste system and the division of rich and poor in such a vivid way that we were able to gain some understanding of the system within which Balram (the White Tiger) lived and worked within. The sewage filled streets in parts of Dehli and the servants who appeared to have their own pecking order, at which Balram was at the bottom for most of the time, to name just a couple of examples.

The book follows the life of 'The White Tiger'. A man who worked his way up from the 'lowly' servant status to that of a self claimed 'social entrepreneur'. The Premier of China is due to visit India and Balram decides to write emails over 7 nights to the Premier describing India in his eyes and, in particular, his own experiences and life to date. He does not paint a pretty picture.

From the offset we know that Balram has committed a crime, that of murder, yet we only find out how this was committed towards the end of his letters. Balram illustrates a palpable hatred towards the system in India which has created such poverty and distinction between the rich and the poor. The masters and servants. He writes in such a way that brings humour to often traumatic circumstances. However, the hatred he holds towards the system and its' masters is often meted out and clear for all too see.

Balram was brought up in 'The Darkness', another word for the villages and outsider, poor areas. He rises to become a driver for a wealthy coal merchant, although is at pains to tell us a driver is not just a driver but also performs whatever duties a servant would need to perform. Eventually, however, it is his deepest wish to go to Delhi and drive for his master that turns into his undoing.

Whilst the book raised mixed reviews from the group, it did have a very bittersweet feel to it. Balram conjures up a myriad of feelings in us ranging from sympathy, anger, humour and hate. As a character it is hard to know whether to hate him, like him, feel sorry for him or even begin to understand him. The things he does and the conclusions he comes to could be as a result of his harsh experiences and one feels sympathy for these, however, not for the actions he takes as a consequence.

Overall, I feel Adiga has written a book that provides us with a wonderfully vivid and stark image of India and its' underbelly. So much so, you can almost smell the open sewers and envisage the servants paan stained teeth! He has also created a character who is so deep and complex that by the end of the book I am still unsure as to what to make of him!

Balram, is indeed an illusive White Tiger both in the telling of his story and in our understanding and grasp of him.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Publisher: Bloomsbury PLC

Date: June 2004

I have been out of sorts for quite sometime with regards to my book reading. For months I have tried to read a book from cover to cover only to fail around chapter 2 and become distracted on other things. As a lover of reading it has been a frustrating ado!

However, patience has it’s own reward and I eventually discovered a book that captured my attention, kept it and proved to be a surprisingly good read. I say discovered, it was actually the current choice of book for the Reading Group I facilitate at work. I had struggled through the last 3 choices and am rather embarrassed to say I did not finish them, so I am pleased to announce that The Kite Runner held my interest right to the end! Hurray!

The book had been much hyped and, more recently, made into a film. I came to the book having very little knowledge of the story and no expectations. There are many, many reviews of the book, which is to be expected, and what I say will probably add very little to what has gone before! However, a reading group meeting and discussion beckons and, having enjoyed the book, I shall attempt to put forward my two penneth!

The Kite Runner is told through the eyes of Amir, who narrates his story from growing up in 1970’s Afghanistan up to his present day living in America. I like Hosseini’s writing style. It is simplistic and flows quite beautifully. He is able to bring the character Amir to life in such a way it reads like his biography. It does have a semi-autobiographical feel to it and, at times, I wondered if Hosseini had experienced some of the things Amir had.

Ultimately, Amir’s tale is one of betrayal, regret and atonement. Amir regrets what he did, or more accurately, did not do, when he was a young boy living in Afghanistan. In the first part of the book Amir recounts growing up in a rich household and talks about his relationship with their servants’ son, Hassan. As a child, Amir seemed ashamed of their ’friendship’ especially when he considers Hassan of ’low caste’ and a victim of much taunting and bullying from others. Amir’s shame is only magnified as he sees how much Hassan idolises him, values their friendship and realises that he would do anything for him. Indeed, it is Hassan’s unconditional love for Amir which forms the crux of the story that brings about the major event altering both of the boy's lives forever.

Later, Amir comes to discover how such events can come back to haunt one as he begins to look at ways in which to atone. The characterisation of Amir is wonderfully human. He has faults, he has made mistakes as a child and continues to regret these mistakes. He runs and hides from these mistakes yet is also incredibly self aware. As we read his story from child to man, we see how he often gives himself a hard time for things that happened when he was a child. We witness how this has shaped the kind of person he is now.

In his writing, Hosseini not only presents us with believable, fallible, human characters but also provides wonderfully descriptive accounts of the environment in which Amir was growing up. There are stark contrasts between the colourful childhood excitement and exuberance during the kite-fighting tournaments and the terror and trauma of growing up in Afghanistan as war looms.

I found myself reading the book for hours on end. Something I have, of late, been unable to do. I was drawn into Amirs' world and found it sad, compelling and all too human.

A wonderful debut novel from Khaled Hosseini.

Groupie by Jenny Fabian

Groupie by Johnny Byrne & Jenny Fabian
Date: 1969
Publisher: Omnibus Press, London

Groupie tells the tale of Katie, a 19 year old 'chick' of the 60's, and her encounters with sex, drugs and rock and roll.

The book is said to be a "thinly fictionalised chronicle of Jenny Fabian's adventures with underground rock heroes of her day". Whilst it does succeed in creating the atmosphere and setting for the 60's underground rock culture, it has to be noted that this is from 'Katie's' view point, a 'groupie' of that time and, in my opinion, a rather selfish, spoilt, arrogant and shallow one at that.

We witness 'Katie' move from one sexual encounter to the next, with 'almost' famous rock stars (hints of the Ben character being Syd Barrett prior to fame and whom Fabian is said to have dated) being the preferred choice of partner. Throughout the book, we see Katie often treating people with disregard and contempt, especially if they don't have the right clothes, look or money.

The synopsis of the book tells us how it;

"..caused a furore for all kinds of reasons....ruffled feathers with its matter-of-fact descriptions of drug taking and sexual high jinx; prompted guessing games about the true identities of its' principal characters; was highly explicit about a phenomenon that had never before been documented"

These points may be so, however, what stood out for me from 'Groupie' was the glaring hypocrisy and contradiction that Katie's and her friends actions and behaviour highlights given that this was the so called 'flower power' 'love' and 'peace' 1960's era. The characters come across as shallow, careless and selfish and leave us wondering whether the the love and peace vibe did genuinely reach London in the late 60's. If that was what the book set out to portray, and what ultimately the 'feel' of the 60's underground movement was, then Fabian and Byrne do an excellent job in documenting this.

The book itself is entertaining and offers some of the great phrases and terminology of the time. If you can cope with lots of 'chicks', 'happenings' 'dudes' and 'totally mans' then Groupie is the one for you.

Overall I did enjoy reading the book but, ultimately, I was left wanting to give Katie a good old fashion talking too!! But maybe that is a sign that I am getting too old to dig!