The White Tiger is a well acclaimed debut novel by Indian writer Aravind Adiga. It maps the life of an under class Indian named Balram Halwai in his struggle to change his destiny.
Summary of The White Tiger
The Darkness’ a part of India where our protagonist Balram was born marks the beginning of his journey and his struggle through social barriers and religious stigmas. The narrator shows us the stark reality of India through his characters. Balram’s quest for freedom takes him from ‘the darkness’ to Delhi and finally Bangalore. It is in Delhi where while working as a driver to his master Ashok, Balram is introduced to the harsh world of corruption and social disparity. One day he escapes from Delhi and rises up to become a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore.
But is murder too high a price to pay for freedom? Not for Balram, who in his blind race to escape India’s rooster coop kills his master.
A dark and amoral yet humorous and endearing story that leaves us asking…..
What does one do when the line between right and wrong fades?
When black and white turn into shades of grey?
An international debut sensation, The White Tiger was first published in 2008 and was an instant hit in the literary world. The book even made it to the New York Times best sellers list.
Inspite of receiving mixed reviews from all around the world the book has an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. The book even won the 40th Man Booker prize making the author the second youngest writer and fourth debut writer to win the prize in 2008.
About Aravind Adiga
Aravind Adiga belongs to the pool of new-age contemporary writers. Apart from being a writer he is also a journalist by profession.
Apart from The White Tiger Aravind Adiga also has two more books to his credit named Between the Assassinations and Last Man In Tower. His articles and short stories have been published by leading journals and newspapers from around the globe. ‘Smack’ in The Sunday Times and ‘The Elephant’ in The New Yorker are naming a few.
Aravind Adiga has had an extensive amount of exposure to the world of politics which reflects in his work. His understated style of writing and unique use of metaphors challenges the readers power of imagination making his books an engaging read.
Hailing from an affluent family in Chennai Aravind Adagi was born in 1974. He was educated at Columbia University in New York and Magdalen College, Oxford. Currently the author resides in Mumbai, India.