I could only take so much unemotional bluntness about life's misery in India. As the short stories wore on, the shock value lost its effect, and I just found myself hoping for some kind of beauty, hope, or love to be put up against the backdrop of the invented city. It felt a little bit like photography of so-called "third world" places that only show one side of poverty. Some of the short stories were compelling writing, and I was impressed at the way in which we got inside the heads of many different people. But, they would have stood better on their own, and not in a book that continued to drag. Not a patch on White Tiger and thus a disappointment. The depiction of life in the fictional southern town through a travelogue and short stories does build up into a whole, but no continuity in the characters involved means that it's hard to identify with anybody and there is no tension or a feeling of involvement.The title would seem to indicate that we should learn something of how the big political developments of that era affected ordinary people, but that sadly doesn't happen. An enjoyable read nevertheless and maybe there's another great novel to come?
Do You like book Between The Assassinations (2008)?
Well written, but I found these short stories grim. The White Tiger was a much better book.
—Sarah
Unique structure of the novel, woven together from multiple stories in the same town.
—ismile_atu
Tried twice. A bit let down after the fabulous The White Tiger.
—Dylan
