The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

Recommended for ages 15-adult.

Normally I don't enjoy reading books with an Indian narrator. There's both personal and stylistic reasons for this which I don't need to go into here.

The White Tiger however, featured a really engaging Indian narrator - "Servant, entrepreneur, philosopher, murderer". It also features a fast-moving, somewhat cynical plot ('Slumdog Millionaire-esque' style). It tells the story of how Munna raised himself out of the poverty and discrimination of his local Indian village and made something of himself (albeit in a non-recommendable way). It tells the stories of corrupt police and politicians, of the confusing modern interpretation of caste, of the relationship between India and the outside world.

It was, in short, more engaging than I had anticipated. It is also very cleverly crafted.

This novel gives the reader a general sense of what it means to live in India today - of the courage, determination and disrespect for ignorant cultural rituals that is necessary to break free of social and familial expectations. Better saved for older readers so they can appreciate Adiga's powerful use of understatements.