Fiction

The White Tiger

The White Tiger

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  • Create Date：2021-05-26 11:57:30
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Aravind Adiga
  • ISBN：1982167661
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Summary

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

The stunning Booker Prize–winning novel from the author of Amnesty and Selection Day that critics have likened to Richard Wright’s Native Son， The White Tiger follows a darkly comic Bangalore driver through the poverty and corruption of modern India’s caste society。 “This is the authentic voice of the Third World， like you've never heard it before” （John Burdett， Bangkok 8）。

The white tiger of this novel is Balram Halwai， a poor Indian villager whose great ambition leads him to the zenith of Indian business culture， the world of the Bangalore entrepreneur。 On the occasion of the president of China’s impending trip to Bangalore， Balram writes a letter to him describing his transformation and his experience as driver and servant to a wealthy Indian family， which he thinks exemplifies the contradictions and complications of Indian society。

Recalling The Death of Vishnu and Bangkok 8 in ambition， scope， The White Tiger is narrative genius with a mischief and personality all its own。 Amoral， irreverent， deeply endearing， and utterly contemporary， this novel is an international publishing sensation—and a startling， provocative debut。

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Reviews

Stephanie Britt ，

This book has a gradual build。 It starts off， then you slowly awaken along with the protagonist。 You feel his rage， his awakening， his incredible realization of what it means to be a servant vs master。 Great book！

Suvina Patel ，

Overall， I think it did a good job of painting a picture of India that is brutally honest， while also discussing social and political issues。 The humour was unexpected and drives the book forward， making the darker themes of the book more digestible。 As the book progresses， the humour starts to fade away， exposing the darkness of the plot and the descent of this character。 For me， this also makes parts of the middle section feel a bit too drawn out， especially as we already know how the story en Overall， I think it did a good job of painting a picture of India that is brutally honest， while also discussing social and political issues。 The humour was unexpected and drives the book forward， making the darker themes of the book more digestible。 As the book progresses， the humour starts to fade away， exposing the darkness of the plot and the descent of this character。 For me， this also makes parts of the middle section feel a bit too drawn out， especially as we already know how the story ends。 However， this was a good read， and I think that the author accomplished what he set out to do。 。。。more

Rajendra ，

I heard so much about this book that I made sure to get it and read and honestly I have been very disappointed。 The first thing about the book is its like watching any crime patrol series on TV。 Secondly， it's low on morals， the people who are kind to him he kills without any mercy。 Thirdly， he talks about breaking the cafe and that the days of goras are over。 Oh goodness gracious me if the youth of India is begins to think that this is the way to put the goras behind then our streets will no lo I heard so much about this book that I made sure to get it and read and honestly I have been very disappointed。 The first thing about the book is its like watching any crime patrol series on TV。 Secondly， it's low on morals， the people who are kind to him he kills without any mercy。 Thirdly， he talks about breaking the cafe and that the days of goras are over。 Oh goodness gracious me if the youth of India is begins to think that this is the way to put the goras behind then our streets will no longer be safe to roam on。 So， it's doesn't even send out a good message to the people。 For me it was a very pathetic read and I would have given it a zero rating if possible， but it's not possible so I give it a one star。 。。。more

Teagan ，

This guy has been paitently waiting on my shelf for YEARS。 A Netflix movie made me finally reach for it。 I was really underwhelmed and struggled tobread the story so I downloaded the audio book instead and I think that I mostly just let the story wash over me， determined to finish it。 Although I learnt more about Indian culture， the corrupt justice system and class I struggled with many aspects including the tangents， letter/reflective style and the main character。 He was so slimy。 Parts of the This guy has been paitently waiting on my shelf for YEARS。 A Netflix movie made me finally reach for it。 I was really underwhelmed and struggled tobread the story so I downloaded the audio book instead and I think that I mostly just let the story wash over me， determined to finish it。 Although I learnt more about Indian culture， the corrupt justice system and class I struggled with many aspects including the tangents， letter/reflective style and the main character。 He was so slimy。 Parts of the story really dragged and I felt like I missed the big plot points。 。。This might have just been wrong book， wrong time and I'll still give the movie ago ;） 。。。more

Jake ，

I know next to nothing about India。 Never been there。 Have a few friends/acquaintances who are but don’t know enough about their experiences to speak intelligently on what the country is like。This may have been the first fictional novel I’ve read set in the book so I went into it with eyes open。Take that all with a grain of salt because I don’t know what the perspective is from actual Indians on the book。 But as a deconstruction of the country of India， its caste system and social dynamics， I fo I know next to nothing about India。 Never been there。 Have a few friends/acquaintances who are but don’t know enough about their experiences to speak intelligently on what the country is like。This may have been the first fictional novel I’ve read set in the book so I went into it with eyes open。Take that all with a grain of salt because I don’t know what the perspective is from actual Indians on the book。 But as a deconstruction of the country of India， its caste system and social dynamics， I found it fascinating。The story is good too。What’s tough about those kinds of books is you have to straddle the line。 You’ve got to tell a story people want to read and you have to layer it with social commentary without sounding preachy。 To that end， I think Aravind Adiga did a great job。 I got an experience of a country that I know little about， learned a lot， and enjoyed quite a tale。I was invested in Balram’s story， caring about him as a person while keeping a curious distance as to his motivations。 He’s a fully realized character with a complex background who is pulled into new circumstances and has to maneuver around them。 Him learning how to do it was both funny and frightening。I have yet to see the Netflix movie this is based on but I anticipate it being as good as advertised。 The book itself is quite cinematic。 It gave me a lot to consider regarding characterization and how we view things in life。 。。。more

SD ，

One of my many favs

Hanna ，

Definitely liked it！！ Just a very quick， enjoyable read！

Kepi ，

Couldn’t get into it; just couldn’t get engaged in the story。 Didn’t finish。

Huda Al-Mossalli ，

3。5 I liked the writing ， and the main character’s point of view 。It was engaging and interesting。There were some islamophobic remarks that I didn’t like ， some sexual innuendos， and the some disgusting descriptions like burping that I hated reading 。Overall， it was interesting to gain perspective in life there ， even if this was fiction 。

David Berlin ，

I saw in an interview that the author of White Tiger， Aravind Adiga， says that White Tiger is a book about a man’s quest for freedom。 To break out of the trap。 Adiga sees India through the eyes of a journalist。 The narrator and star of White Tiger is Balram Halwai， who is a very observant， village boy that comes from Laxmangarph which is a rural part of northeast India referred to as The Darkness。 Big cities mentioned like Delhi and Bangalore are referred to as The Light。 It seems that Balram is I saw in an interview that the author of White Tiger， Aravind Adiga， says that White Tiger is a book about a man’s quest for freedom。 To break out of the trap。 Adiga sees India through the eyes of a journalist。 The narrator and star of White Tiger is Balram Halwai， who is a very observant， village boy that comes from Laxmangarph which is a rural part of northeast India referred to as The Darkness。 Big cities mentioned like Delhi and Bangalore are referred to as The Light。 It seems that Balram is the mouthpiece for the author。 The novel is written in the first person by Balram， through letters he writes to a Chinese Premier， Wen Ibao。 Wen is visiting India to learn how India produces so many successful entrepreneurs。 Balram never meets Wen and this narration style through letters might not be for everyone。Balram through his own wit and a little luck becomes a driver and servant for Mr。 Ashok。 The only other weakness in White Tiger to me is that Balram confesses that he has murdered his boss， Mr。 Ashok， and that enabled him to move to Bangalore and set himself up as an entrepreneur。 By Balram revealing he killed his boss early in the book to get ahead， it eliminated a lot of suspense and the potential element of surprise。 We also learn early on that Balram is The White Tiger。 A teacher notices Balram is an intelligent and honest， vivacious fellow in the crowd of thugs and idiots。 In any jungle， what is the rarest of animals – the creatures that comes along only once in a generation。 “the white tiger。”What makes White Tiger such a worthwhile read is Balram’s description of India。 Our nation has no drinking water， electricity， sewage system， public transportation， sense of hygiene， discipline， courtesy， or punctuality， but does have entrepreneurs。 Every day millions wake up at dawn – stand in dirty， crowded buses – get off at their master’s posh houses – and then clean the floors， wash the dishes， weed the garden， feed their children， press their feet， all for pittance。As time goes on Balram starts to see India in even more black & white terms。 A handful of men in this country trained the remaining 99。9% to exist in perpetual servitude。 To sum up – in the old days there were one thousand castes and destinies in India。 These days， there are just two castes Men with Big Bellies。 And Men will Small Bellies。 And only two destinies eat –or get eaten up。 That is a consistent theme in White Tiger。The underclass who built the city， and are trapped there， hidden from plain view， employed in poor conditions and at low grade jobs， and in some cases held in slavery conditions。 Balram tries to explain why the poor do not rise up to overwhelm their masters， and the best metaphor he can come up with is the chicken market in Delhi， where live roosters sit powerless in cages beneath the carcasses of their freshly slaughtered brothers。 They are accepting and willing participants in their own tragic fate。 It makes a point that we are mysteries to ourselves by the roster coup we are locked in to。 There is a satirical element with no political or religious ideology in White Tiger that shows the awfulness of the caste system。 In Balram’s case， it does show the rise of individualism and decline of community。 Balram’s focus is on himself， not his family or the community around him。 Balram knows and behaves and is rewarded for ruthlessness to get ahead。 It is demoralizing view of human nature but consistent on how Balram’s story is told。 On a positive point to live by， Balram refers a lot to the 4 great poets who have influenced him。 He notes that the moment you recognize what is beautiful in the world， you stop being a slave。 And that is something many rich cannot even do。The writing is clever， fast-paced， and totally entertaining as demonstrated by the descriptions of the castes and accepted corruptions， mosquito nets， Indian food， sweetmakers， cockroaches， slums， water buffalo， rickshaws， family obligations， and I can go on and on。 I would recommend White Tiger to readers who enjoy literary fiction， who want to， or who have traveled to India before， and who also might have enjoyed the movie “Slumdog Millionaire。” 。。。more

dewdropsaum ，

one more indian author

Nidhi ，

It depicts the harsh realities of India。 The stark difference that exists in between the rich and the poor class has been narrated in the rawest form。 It's a must read！！ It depicts the harsh realities of India。 The stark difference that exists in between the rich and the poor class has been narrated in the rawest form。 It's a must read！！ 。。。more

Jay Larbes ，

This was a very quirky read。 I got Kurt Vonnegut vibes while reading it （though I'm uncertain if that's a fair comparison; it's been a few years since I read a Vonnegut）。 I can't say I highly enjoyed it， but it did hold my attention enough to get through it。My biggest takeaway from the books is the picture it paints of modern（ish） India - I believe the book takes place around 2000 or early 2000s。 It depicts the enormous disparity between the elite few and the impoverished / servant class。 The de This was a very quirky read。 I got Kurt Vonnegut vibes while reading it （though I'm uncertain if that's a fair comparison; it's been a few years since I read a Vonnegut）。 I can't say I highly enjoyed it， but it did hold my attention enough to get through it。My biggest takeaway from the books is the picture it paints of modern（ish） India - I believe the book takes place around 2000 or early 2000s。 It depicts the enormous disparity between the elite few and the impoverished / servant class。 The description of life is difficult for me to wrap my head around， because it is so drastically different from life in Western society。 It's amazing how sheltered we are as well， how unaware we （at least I） are about life in other societies。 。。。more

Felisa ，

I wish this app allowed for half stars。 This book was more like 4。5。 I found the one sided epistolary narrative style a little too jarring in the beginning， but then got used to it as the story picked up speed。 Honestly that aspect of the book was not my favorite。 I get that the White Tiger needed a way to tell his story， but it was irritating。 Especially when it devolved into racial slurs because he was supposedly correspond with a high ranking Chinese official （yellow-skinned， etc。）That said， I wish this app allowed for half stars。 This book was more like 4。5。 I found the one sided epistolary narrative style a little too jarring in the beginning， but then got used to it as the story picked up speed。 Honestly that aspect of the book was not my favorite。 I get that the White Tiger needed a way to tell his story， but it was irritating。 Especially when it devolved into racial slurs because he was supposedly correspond with a high ranking Chinese official （yellow-skinned， etc。）That said， the story was a gripping bildungsroman and I really appreciated the descriptions of what it takes to survive in the crushing working conditions of servitude， in India。 Once you make it thru the first 20 or so pages the action really picks up and becomes a real page-turner。 。。。more

Amin ，

❤️

IJ ，

Should I give three or four stars？ Okay， so I liked the book。 It was a fast read with a twisted yet relatable plot and it can really get dark if you think of things deeply。 I like the metaphors and similies used by the author and I would recommend it。

Phurpa Lhamo ，

So its a tale about a perfectly imperfect hero。 Often when people talk about this book， they don’t fail to mention how Aravind Adiga excels in his language and how the book is a brazen portrayal of India。I personally enjoyed how he played with symbolism-the buffalo， the zoo and the caste， the belly reference and of course ‘the white tiger。’From an outsiders perspective， I throughly enjoyed reading the book with laughter at really inappropriate situations and topics。But of course the author mocki So its a tale about a perfectly imperfect hero。 Often when people talk about this book， they don’t fail to mention how Aravind Adiga excels in his language and how the book is a brazen portrayal of India。I personally enjoyed how he played with symbolism-the buffalo， the zoo and the caste， the belly reference and of course ‘the white tiger。’From an outsiders perspective， I throughly enjoyed reading the book with laughter at really inappropriate situations and topics。But of course the author mocking every practice in India often made wonder if he was any better。 Any better than policemen， the landlords， the politicians， the drivers in the monkey circle or the white tiger himself。 ‘The book of your revolution sits in the pit of your belly， young Indian。 Crap it out， and read。’ Definitely easier said （ written in this case） than done and who doesn’t like lazying around ‘watching cricket and shampoo advertisement’？But the book remains one of my favorites and is a must-read。 。。。more

Yunhi ，

Boy was I mad while and after reading this book。 I felt as if people are devolving rather than evolving。 The author does a good job with the story， it’s interesting， sarcastic， enlightening， sad， frustrating。 Reading how inhumanely people view and treat another in current time is maddening。

Fiske St。 Little Library ，

This book was a journey and it left me both exhausted and ready to read more by the author。

Katrien Smeets ，

As of the frist page I was in this story， I loved the plot ， the descriptions， the humor， the criticism， the original style。

Marlena ，

For anyone who has lived in India or spent sufficient time in India you will agree that this book is very real。 If you are loooking for a Bollywood love story， this isn't it。This is the harshest parts of India， written down with smooth irony that is quite incredible。Highly suggested。 For anyone who has lived in India or spent sufficient time in India you will agree that this book is very real。 If you are loooking for a Bollywood love story， this isn't it。This is the harshest parts of India， written down with smooth irony that is quite incredible。Highly suggested。 。。。more

Anna Cass ，

This is the third book I've read about corruption in India， and they've each added new perspectives to the theme。 Also， each one has been excellent: Adiga's "The White Tiger"， Majumdar's "A Burning"， and Mistry's "A Fine Balance"。In "The White Tiger"， a boy from a small village observes the differences between the rich and the poor， then figures out whether his morals are flexible enough to let him break out of the cycle of poverty that he seems destined to。 Great storytelling！ This is the third book I've read about corruption in India， and they've each added new perspectives to the theme。 Also， each one has been excellent: Adiga's "The White Tiger"， Majumdar's "A Burning"， and Mistry's "A Fine Balance"。In "The White Tiger"， a boy from a small village observes the differences between the rich and the poor， then figures out whether his morals are flexible enough to let him break out of the cycle of poverty that he seems destined to。 Great storytelling！ 。。。more

Liv ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really liked how throughout the book you can understand the contrast between the narration and the main character and how they through the chronology of the narration seem to become the same person （ I mean they are ） but I feel that at the beginning the narrator seemed to be very much against the society that he had to grow in， but the whole thing with the driver at the police station at the end sort of made me not a huge fan of him anymore。 I understand the message is probably about money an I really liked how throughout the book you can understand the contrast between the narration and the main character and how they through the chronology of the narration seem to become the same person （ I mean they are ） but I feel that at the beginning the narrator seemed to be very much against the society that he had to grow in， but the whole thing with the driver at the police station at the end sort of made me not a huge fan of him anymore。 I understand the message is probably about money and power corrupting even the best of people but it was still just sort of sad 。。。more

Ananya_ ，

4。5☆

Dianne Kaucharik ，

This novel is written in first person voice as a series of seven letters written to the Premier of China。 The reason for this made no sense to me right to the end。 The story itself， about a self-made Indian entrepreneur， reveals many dark aspects of life in India。 In that regard it was very educational but disturbing。

Amy Buckle / Amy's Bookshelf ，

The White Tiger， also known as Balram Halwai， is an entrepreneur （and murderer） and this book is his story。 Growing up in poverty， he works in a teashop and dreams of a better life with more money。 An opportunity presents itself and he finds himself working as a chauffeur for a landlord。 Once he starts this work， he’s exposed to a different side of India， one with more opportunity but also a seedy underbelly。 But as he learns every day， if he takes advantage of this underbelly， he might be able The White Tiger， also known as Balram Halwai， is an entrepreneur （and murderer） and this book is his story。 Growing up in poverty， he works in a teashop and dreams of a better life with more money。 An opportunity presents itself and he finds himself working as a chauffeur for a landlord。 Once he starts this work， he’s exposed to a different side of India， one with more opportunity but also a seedy underbelly。 But as he learns every day， if he takes advantage of this underbelly， he might be able to succeed and buy his ticket out of the life he was born into， but he may have to break the law along the way…A big element of this book was the juxtaposition of the dark and the light。 Especially towards the beginning of the novel， this dichotomy is one that Balram often mentions and one that helps the reader understand how he sees this divide in India。 What he witnesses are two extremes – the poverty he was born into with schools in which the teacher was stealing the money， to the wealth of his boss and the regular shopping trips he and his wife indulge in。 This class divide becomes the crux of this book and its story and I like how Adiga used his book to show this。I listened to The White Tiger as a audiobook and while I don’t regret this decision， there are elements of this book I think I would have rather skimmed over than heard crudely spoke in my ear！ The book’s main allure is its dark humour， but that often manifests itself in very visceral descriptions of things such as body parts and bodily fluids which is something I’d rather not dwell on！ I do think however， this technique did help reinforce the poverty that Balram lives in – yes it’s not comfortable， but there are people living it every day。As I listened to this as an audiobook， I feel less aware of specific quotes and writing， however， a line I wrote down as soon as I heard it was: “But to be called a murderer by the police， what a fucking joke。” This felt particularly poignant because the whole book deals so deeply with issues of class and injustice， and this sentiment not only can be applied to Balram’s story， but also to many occasions in real life。 Police brutality is unfortunately very real and there’s a lot to be said for one man taking justice into his own hands， after all， isn’t that what law enforcement do every day？ So why are they any more right than he is？From banal traffic jams to repeatedly mentioning the 4 great poets （but always forgetting the last） there’s such a unique humour to Balram’s narration and one which is certainly not forgettable。 This tone and humour was cemented even more for me by the audiobook narrator’s Indian accent which made The White Tiger even more immersive。 If you’re looking for a book that’s unexpected and totally different， then read this and I promise you won’t be disappointed！ 。。。more

Madhurima Sarkar ，

Read in a single sitting。 Gripping storyline and a true depiction of the realities that some people have to face 。

LauraKatarooma ，

Olipa mahtava kirjaksi， jossa ei tapahdu paljon mitään。

Anagha ，

The White Tiger， with a use of ambiguous party names and veiled criticism of the government， never failed to surprise me with the tact it had in delivering the tale。 Lovely book， read it as part of my book club and would recommend it to anyone who wants a change of scene from the usual genres they're tired of reading cuz this one falls kinda in the middle of thriller， mystery， political satire， sarcasm and a commentary on the caste system in India without cackling too much about privilege。 It sh The White Tiger， with a use of ambiguous party names and veiled criticism of the government， never failed to surprise me with the tact it had in delivering the tale。 Lovely book， read it as part of my book club and would recommend it to anyone who wants a change of scene from the usual genres they're tired of reading cuz this one falls kinda in the middle of thriller， mystery， political satire， sarcasm and a commentary on the caste system in India without cackling too much about privilege。 It shows， not tells。 。。。more

Annelies De Haan ，

Movie was good， book was better （and one of the characters is waaay different， you know the one）

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The White Tiger

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The White Tiger&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The White Tiger&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0