Tuesday, March 16, 2010 10:30 am and 7:30 pm
Seminar Room
Discussion of the book The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. 276 pages. This first novel by Indian writer Adiga depicts the awakening of a low-caste Indian man to the degradation of servitude. While the early tone of the book calls to mind the heartbreaking inequities of Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, a better comparison is to Frederick Douglass's narrative about how he broke out of slavery. The protagonist, Balram Halwai, is initially delighted at the opportunity to become the driver for a wealthy man. But Balram grows increasingly angry at the ways he is excluded from society and looked down upon by the rich, and he murders his employer. He reveals this murder from the start, so the mystery is not what he did but why he would kill such a kind man.
For copies of the book, phone 291-4821 or email Sue Madeo at smadeo@westportlibrary.org.
New participants always welcome.
