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A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga
5.0
You may be wondering why I have all these five star books. No, I am not easily pleased, but life being what it is, who has time to review mediocre stuff? Share the good! Share the worthwhile! And this novel is definitely worthwhile.
I liked "Last Man in Tower" better than "The White Tiger"--A book I enjoyed a lot. "Last Man" is just as gritty and compelling, and carries that same sort of horror factor that "White Tiger" did. Not horror in terms of zombies, but horror in seeing what people can become.
The people in Vishram Society have lived together in their co-op building for more than 30 years, sharing their
lives, helping each other, working through petty disagreements. When a developer offers them a munificent buyout that all residents must agree to, everything falls apart.
Vishram Society is made up of very regular middle class people who may prove willing, if not eager, to throw each other under the proverbial bus if need be. Every resident of the tower is achingly human, infuriating and touching at the same time.
This is not an easy read. The themes are hard, the characters challenging, and Mumbai is a monster. But you will not want to leave Vishram Society until the buyout deadline is past. There is a Dickensian element to this book as it touches on a variety of lives from different castes, religions, and throws them into the roiling maw of a great city. There is a universality to this novel that will make it live long in memory and in literature.
by Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
I liked "Last Man in Tower" better than "The White Tiger"--A book I enjoyed a lot. "Last Man" is just as gritty and compelling, and carries that same sort of horror factor that "White Tiger" did. Not horror in terms of zombies, but horror in seeing what people can become.
The people in Vishram Society have lived together in their co-op building for more than 30 years, sharing their
lives, helping each other, working through petty disagreements. When a developer offers them a munificent buyout that all residents must agree to, everything falls apart.
Vishram Society is made up of very regular middle class people who may prove willing, if not eager, to throw each other under the proverbial bus if need be. Every resident of the tower is achingly human, infuriating and touching at the same time.
This is not an easy read. The themes are hard, the characters challenging, and Mumbai is a monster. But you will not want to leave Vishram Society until the buyout deadline is past. There is a Dickensian element to this book as it touches on a variety of lives from different castes, religions, and throws them into the roiling maw of a great city. There is a universality to this novel that will make it live long in memory and in literature.
by Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader