Trevor's Review of J.L. Carr's A Month in the Country

While I've been reading everyone's reviews, I haven't posted one of my own here in some time. Part of that is because I haven't read many Booker books. After reading last year's longlist, I became disgruntled. I'm getting over it and hope I'm in shape to read this year's list as well.

However, it almost slipped by me that this little gem of a book was shortlisted for the Booker in 1980. I loved it! I think it is the shortest book ever to be on the shortlist, so it doesn't take long to read, but there is so much in it. It does feel like a month in the country: restful, nostalgic, dreamy.

I posted my full review on my blog here: http://mookseandgripes.com/reviews/2009/03/08/jl-carrs-a-month-in-the-country/

I hope many of you find this book which is published by Penguin Modern Classis in the UK and NYRB Classics in the US.

2006, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

I've had this one on my TBR for a while, and having seen Slumdog Millionaire, I thought it was time to read it!

http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/the-inheritance-of-loss-by-kiran-desai-beware-spoilers/

I finished reading this book and journalled it on 12.3.09.

Laura's Review - The White Tiger

The White Tiger
Aravind Adiga
276 pages

See, this country, in its days of greatness, when it was the richest nation on earth, was like a zoo. A clean, well kept, orderly zoo. Everyone in his place, everyone happy. ... And then, thanks to all those politicians in Delhi, on the fifteenth of August, 1947 -- the day the British left -- the cages had been left open; and the animals had attacked and ripped each other apart and jungle law replaced zoo law. Those that were the most ferocious, the hungriest, had eaten everyone else up, and grown big bellies. (p. 53-54)

Balram Halwai lives in "the jungle" that is 21st century India. The book is organized as a lengthy letter from Balram to China's Premier, shortly before the Premier's visit to Bangalore. In the letter, written over several days, Balram describes how he left his rural village to work as a driver for the son of the village's wealthiest man. He landed this position completely by luck, and used it to rise up in Indian servant society, and eventually become an entrepreneur.

But this is no rags-to-riches story. It is instead a sometimes humorous, sometimes scathing account of contemporary Indian society. Adiga vividly describes the stark contrasts between "haves" and "have nots," and is resigned to this remaining as status quo for years to come:

An Indian revolution? No, sir. It won't happen. People in this country are still waiting for the war of their freedom to come from somewhere else -- from the jungles, from the mountains, from China, from Pakistan. That will never happen. (p. 261)

The White Tiger explores many of the same themes as A Fine Balance, but I found the latter better-written and far more moving. This was an OK read, but disappointing compared to other Booker Prize winners. ( )

My original review can be found here.