“See, the poor dream all their lives of getting enough to eat and looking like the rich. And what do the rich dream of?? Losing weight and looking like the poor.”
This book provides a darkly humorous view of Balram Halwai's journey from being a poor village boy to a rich entrepreneur. Balram tells his story through a series of letters to the Chinese President on the eve of his visit to India.
Balram gets a job as a driver to a rich family. He then leaves his village and family, who he promises to send money to every month. He manouvers his way into this wealthy family's confidences, and gets the opportunity to have a more important and permanent role there.
As Balram engages more with his employers, they start to tell him that he's become a part of their family, but their actions prove otherwise. A tragic event transpires that could have harsh consequences for his employers. How they deal with this event and what they make Balram do to cover their own asses is quite heartbreaking and very telling. But Balram is no fool. He continues to play the part of the young, naive, poor village boy well to his advantage.
This was a grim, fast paced read with a lot of suspense. The issues of the caste system, loyalty, corruption, religion, morality and poverty in India are examined in a unique, honest and dark way. Reading about Balram's journey was intense. I loved the way the story was told, and was invested from start to finish. I'd love to read more from this author.
I read this for my Booker Prize Winners reading challenge. This has been a top book from this challenge so far.
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