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crazytealady's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Car accident and Sexism
Minor: Excrement
mscalls's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Medical content, Bullying, Child death, Classism, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
lasunflower's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Book review contain spoilers - I have tried to hide the biggest ones.
This book was an interesting read: I enjoyed Adiga's commentary on 21st Century India. Through the character of Balram, a man from rural India, Adiga explores the issues of India's modernisation and place in the world and the affects on the traditions of India, such as class/caste and corruption through satire.
Balram is an interesting character as he embodies the rural lower classes of India - the struggle in lifting yourself out of poverty and how the social and familial structures make it difficult to do so. The book poses several questions: does individualism benefit Indian society and individual people? What would one sacrifice in order to gain a better economic life?
As an character, however, Balram is difficult to relate to due to Adiga's satirical tone. Balram is a character through which the reader can gain an insight into Adiga's views on the class issues, but not a character that is likeable in his own right despite the first-person narrative. Balram, though he embodies a class of people struggling out of poverty and whom will do all that it takes to do so, is more a commentator on Indian society rather than someone the reader can relate to.
In particular his view of women (as a female reader) was off putting. The women in the novel are reduced to minor characters - either annoying maternal characters in the case of Balram's grandmother, or most often sexual objects. The main characters who do have a space in the book to give their insight are male and misogynistic, the women of India are not given a voice. It is difficult to know how much of this was ironic/satirical/making a point, and even if this was the case, the women are utilised by Adiga as material objects - to enable Adiga to exhibit (male) greed, corruption and individualism in modern India.
I found I could relate more with Ashok (Balram's master) than Balram himself and poses an interesting partial parallel to Balram.
Graphic: Car accident and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Excrement, Infidelity, and Islamophobia
innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Car accident and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
mmefish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Excrement
hannah_sakura's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Death and Violence
Minor: Child death, Excrement, Toxic relationship, and Vomit