Sunday, June 5, 2011

White Tiger - Aravind Agida

Okay, I think this book was critically acclaimed and it was personally recommended, but it's a novel and takes the form of a letter to the Chinese Premier from a murderous servant turned entrepreneur - let's just say I wasn't very excited about it.  The power kept going out though, so I started to read it anyway.

It turned out to be a really fun read.  The format proved an accessible yet sophisticated way to tell the story.  Kind of like 24, except I appreciated the effort and the result.  It touches on so many aspects of life in India without feeling strained.  Overall it was just very entertaining.  I highly recommend it.

2 comments:

Ann said...

Do you think you would have liked the book as much if you'd read it before experiencing living in India?

Siera said...

Good question. I think so, but it's hard to tell. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded and the prose as much as anything else. I could also see being kind of offended on behalf of a country and people I don't know or understand who are not portrayed in a very good light here. Not to say that I understand them now, but I have certainly experienced things I didn't expect to here.

I thought some of the story arc was a little preposterous (maybe it isn't?). It was a good vehicle for exploring myriad aspects of life in India and how relationships are affected by wealth, status, religion, circumstance, and morality. I liked it best for the ride though. It was an entertaining read, if nothing else.