I have enjoyed reading “Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress” by Dai Sijie. It is an interesting tale of two teenage boys and a teenage girl (seamstress). The story is set in the time of the Cultural Revolution somewhere between 1966-1976.  The two city boys (Lou and his friend, the narrator of the book) are banished for completing high school and sent to the mountains for China’s Re-Education program, to live the life of peasants and “unlearn”. No one being “re-educated” is permitted to read any books except the little red book of sayings written by Chairman Mao. Instead, they …

I read “The White Tiger”, the debut novel by Aravind Adiga. This book won the Booker prize in 2008.

This fast-moving novel is written as a seven-part letter to the Chinese prime minister who is to visit Bangalore. Adiga tells his gripping story in a narrative style. He does a good job of striking a balance between his wretched life and the privileged masters that he serves. The novel expresses deep anger and hatred at injustice, corruption and power of the new India. There is no subtlety in his message. This comes across very strongly.

Warning….this is a spoiler …