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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I liked this book because it really immersed me in the culture of India that you don't normally see or read about. Bollywood this isn't.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
.... some of the MMC's reasoning felt flawed. I don't know if it was intentional, to fit with the "back country / crotch scratching / biggest ambition is to wear a uniform" vibe or it was a writing accident but I just don't think the justification for murder was enough.... Then again, I've never had that much money dangled within arms reach.
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
A Great Gatsby story that feels like the author watched a lot of Wes Anderson and read a lot of Kurt Vonnegut. Loved this look at the underbelly of India.
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A compelling dive into Indian class culture and corruption. This is the story of a servant who manages to break out of the Rooster Coop by becoming a "servant, philosopher, entrepreneur and murdered..." as trailered on the back of the book. We know fairly early on who he murders but the actual crime doesn't happen until page 280ish. In the meantime you've got to know something of the victim via Balram's point of view
The structure of the novel is a long letter to the Chinese Prime Minister who is visiting India who has asked to hear from entrepreneurs. Balram gives him a potted life history from school to his current name and business.
It starts off quite light hearted and gets darker as Balram begins to question the Rooster Coop which keeps servants (and all the poor) in line. It is brutal in it's assessment of Indian life and in particular the divide between the rich and the poor / servant classes. It shows that privelge is the problem and not just white privilege. For at least part of the book I had sympathy for his victim as someone trying to break out and help without being able to. He does a good job of not making all privelged people out to be complete monsters.
Balram isn't a saint either although there is a very good parallel between two similar road accidents and their treatment by his old employers and then subsequently him as an employer. That showed him trying to do some good whilst still using the system to his advantage. A nice touch.
The writing is free flowing and (to a Western eye) reads well although as it is written by an American Indian I suspect it may well be unauthentic to a native Indian. I clearly got Balram's voice in my head as I was reading it.
An enjoyable book which I'm glad I've read. Some food for thought about our own actions towards servants.
The structure of the novel is a long letter to the Chinese Prime Minister who is visiting India who has asked to hear from entrepreneurs. Balram gives him a potted life history from school to his current name and business.
It starts off quite light hearted and gets darker as Balram begins to question the Rooster Coop which keeps servants (and all the poor) in line. It is brutal in it's assessment of Indian life and in particular the divide between the rich and the poor / servant classes. It shows that privelge is the problem and not just white privilege. For at least part of the book I had sympathy for his victim as someone trying to break out and help without being able to. He does a good job of not making all privelged people out to be complete monsters.
Balram isn't a saint either although there is a very good parallel between two similar road accidents and their treatment by his old employers and then subsequently him as an employer. That showed him trying to do some good whilst still using the system to his advantage. A nice touch.
The writing is free flowing and (to a Western eye) reads well although as it is written by an American Indian I suspect it may well be unauthentic to a native Indian. I clearly got Balram's voice in my head as I was reading it.
An enjoyable book which I'm glad I've read. Some food for thought about our own actions towards servants.