Fiction

The White Tiger

The White Tiger

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  • Create Date：2022-07-25 06:57:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Aravind Adiga
  • ISBN：1416562605
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Summary

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Balram Halwai is a complicated man。 Servant。 Philosopher。 Entrepreneur。 Murderer。 Over the course of seven nights， Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life—having nothing but his own wits to help him along。 And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected， Balram teaches us that religion create virtue， and money doesn't solve every problem—but decency can still be found in a corrupt world， and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations。

Amoral， irreverent， deeply endearing， and utterly contemporary， this novel is an international sensation—and a startling， provocative debut。

AN INDIE NEXT LIST PICK
A BOOK OF THE YEAR， 2008， THE SUNDAY TIMES （LONDON）
A BEST BUSSINESS BOOK OF 2008， FAST COMPANY MAGAZINE
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR， NEWSDAY
A FAVORITE READ OF THE YEAR， USA TODAY

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Reviews

Amanda Broughton ，

Winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize。 I saw the movie before I even knew it was a book！ 'A rich man's body is like a premium cotton pillow white and soft and blank。 Ours are different。 My father's spine was a knotted rope， the kind that women use in villages to pull water from wells; the clavicle curved around his neck in high relief， like a dog's collar; cuts and nicks and scars， like little whip marks in his flesh， ran down his chest and waist， reaching down below his hip bones into his buttock Winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize。 I saw the movie before I even knew it was a book！ 'A rich man's body is like a premium cotton pillow white and soft and blank。 Ours are different。 My father's spine was a knotted rope， the kind that women use in villages to pull water from wells; the clavicle curved around his neck in high relief， like a dog's collar; cuts and nicks and scars， like little whip marks in his flesh， ran down his chest and waist， reaching down below his hip bones into his buttocks。 The story of a poor man's life is written on his body， in a sharp pen。' 。。。more

Nourin ，

Balram i。e。， the white tiger。 The story goes as balram writes email to The Premier of China who happens to be visiting soon。 The email consist of autobiography stating all the paths balram had been。 He who was destined to be a sweet seller as per his family roots through his hardship and brilliance became an entrepreneur。 He started by working as a loyal driver for some rich people。 Later murdering the owner Ashok and escaping with his money。 Starting a new start up while bribing the police-men。 Balram i。e。， the white tiger。 The story goes as balram writes email to The Premier of China who happens to be visiting soon。 The email consist of autobiography stating all the paths balram had been。 He who was destined to be a sweet seller as per his family roots through his hardship and brilliance became an entrepreneur。 He started by working as a loyal driver for some rich people。 Later murdering the owner Ashok and escaping with his money。 Starting a new start up while bribing the police-men。 Becoming successfull on that buisness。 。。。more

Ipek Erdalli ，

This is a tough one to rate。 It exposes the ugliness and brutal ambition of a driver who belongs to the “lower caste” in India。 While I didn’t enjoy the subject matter， it was an interesting read。 The letter format didn’t work for me， though considering it’s a debut novel it was compelling and authentic。 However， I found the main character unlikable and inconsistent， as well as unrealistic， which detracted from my enjoyment of the story。

Sam Jameson ，

This book was well written and compelling！ I especially liked the use of the narrator writing a letter to facilitate transitions between timelines and stories。 However， I never got fully invested because I did not particularly connect with the narrator （it could be that as a white woman I was not the target audience）。 Still， worth a read！

Girlie ，

I had this book 8 years ago and couldn’t go beyond a few pages。 I saw it at the library one day， and picked it up again。 This time around， I couldn’t put it down。 I could relate to it more after having visited India 3 years ago and having ridden the train， visited the Ganga and experienced the culture， the people and the cities。 Enjoyed the read！

Shai S。 ，

Really funny and taught me a lot about the supposed life of the poor in India。 The humor style matched my taste pretty well， but I don't think women would resonate with this book very well。 I couldn't put this book down while I was reading; I was very entertained。 My friend Shrusti did point out to me that the book leaves out the entirety of the Indian middle class， categorizing nearly everybody into the rich and the poor。 I take the book's message with a grain of salt because the author is spea Really funny and taught me a lot about the supposed life of the poor in India。 The humor style matched my taste pretty well， but I don't think women would resonate with this book very well。 I couldn't put this book down while I was reading; I was very entertained。 My friend Shrusti did point out to me that the book leaves out the entirety of the Indian middle class， categorizing nearly everybody into the rich and the poor。 I take the book's message with a grain of salt because the author is speaking for the poor in India， not from personal experience。 Overall， the read was very enjoyable， and I may come back to it one day。 。。。more

Christelle ，

Fun book to read and interesting facts。 Well tied up narrative。

Christy ，

Nice to read a modern day book from India。

jackie perdue ，

This was a really interesting read。 I find it unusual that it was the winner of the Booker Prize， but in a good way。 A lot of what I know about modern India is based on other books I've read （the God of Small Things， Burnt Sugar）， but I think the tone of White Tiger is what really sets it apart。 I often find first person narratives to be tiresome， unless that narrator is a morally questionable one， and Balram is certainly that。 We know from almost the outset that he is a criminal， but he relates This was a really interesting read。 I find it unusual that it was the winner of the Booker Prize， but in a good way。 A lot of what I know about modern India is based on other books I've read （the God of Small Things， Burnt Sugar）， but I think the tone of White Tiger is what really sets it apart。 I often find first person narratives to be tiresome， unless that narrator is a morally questionable one， and Balram is certainly that。 We know from almost the outset that he is a criminal， but he relates his story with such cynical realism， that I found myself rooting for him just the same。 And then， he describes his crime in such a gruesome， detached way that you realize he's made you， the reader， just as complicit。 An exhilarating reading experience。 I knocked off a star because， occasionally， I found my mind wandering while reading and having to go back to understand what was happening。 。。。more

Trevor Kettlewell ，

In one way this could have been a short story – it hangs on a single satirical concept: an ostensibly model new-breed Indian entrepreneur writing to the visiting Chinese Premier， apparently interested in what’s driven some of India’s impressive economic development。 The voice of our initially innocent seeming business man – who speaks throughout the entire book in second person in letters to the Premier – starts in a comic vein， with maybe some ‘Citizen of the World’ insights thrown in with the In one way this could have been a short story – it hangs on a single satirical concept: an ostensibly model new-breed Indian entrepreneur writing to the visiting Chinese Premier， apparently interested in what’s driven some of India’s impressive economic development。 The voice of our initially innocent seeming business man – who speaks throughout the entire book in second person in letters to the Premier – starts in a comic vein， with maybe some ‘Citizen of the World’ insights thrown in with the humour。 I imagine Adiga has seen business testimonies eulogising the happily advancing state of not only the economy， but the development of society beyond caste， corruption and poverty through the grand financial development。But， cleverly， Adiga lets more and more darkness （I suspect he’d say reality） slip into the narrative。 He vividly conveys the two worlds of India – the standard worlds of so many cultures， both historical and contemporary – those of wealth and poverty。 Looking through the eyes of a rural peasant who makes the massive step up into becoming a driver， the blithe dehumanising contempt he accepts as his due is potent and perceptive。 The moral （and there *is* a moral， or an anti-moral） to the story is that corruption is the eternal ground of politics， business and class， and accepting this truth （as opposed to any dreams of justice or democracy） is the beginning of wisdom。 The hope for equity – especially through political means such as socialist revolution， but also through capitalism （which must， as its most fundamental level， bribe the police and any other relevant authorities to establish and maintain its existence and， as part of this， avoid appropriate legal and social responsibilities）。 There is （spoilers） some improvement in the way Balram， in his new life， treats his drivers compared to how he was treated， carefully moving them from servants to employees， but the irony of his story as a model for how China should embrace the future is pretty brutal。The central character， Balram， is textured， and we also learn a lot about him through his often cynical and dismissive descriptions of other characters。 I dare say the book would be even more penetrating for the many readers who live in one of the many countries where servants are commonplace – although it’s most likely that they would be from the rich side。 Which might sting: （spoiler） it is telling that the only guilt Balram feels is that he didn’t kill another one of his employers: there is real venom in the underlying attitude of servant towards master – and convincing reason for that hatred。 I’ve only had the tiniest taste of this visiting in-laws in Indonesia， where initially I was shocked by the notion of a house full of people who are largely treated like whitegoods， but could see how easily this could become normal， assumed。This book sits perfectly in my ‘well-written books I didn’t personally enjoy’ category。 Probably a great book to talk about， and perhaps more enjoyable if you’d been exposed to the literature I suspect it’s pillorying。 But I just find it hard going when there is simply no-one to like。 Clearly Balram himself， while understandable， is hugely selfish， and utterly ruthless to his family。 His employers are at best unconsciously， at worst deliberately vile。 His fellow drivers are painted as seedy and superficial。 His family are generally grasping and lack any warmth。 There is nothing resembling friendship in the book， and relations between men and women are merely sexual or financial or both。 It’s not quite as blind as Cormier’s cynicism， but it’s in that family， and I’m not sure whether it’s because: Adiga doesn’t realise that there is actually genuine goodness and intimacy out there; he was deliberately painting a character who couldn’t see it; or he just wanted to push this pessimistic outlook for this story。 。。。more

Haritha ，

Loved the read！

Fran ，

The writer suggests truths and lies through both sadness and laughable stories。 That said there is great depth to the author's view about servitude。 The writer suggests truths and lies through both sadness and laughable stories。 That said there is great depth to the author's view about servitude。 。。。more

Gil ，

A compelling and entertaining look into the Indian caste system， and the psychological extremes of one creative entrepreneur's quest to break free from his brutal destiny。 A compelling and entertaining look into the Indian caste system， and the psychological extremes of one creative entrepreneur's quest to break free from his brutal destiny。 。。。more

Adhya Shetty ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am giving this a star because I do feel the servant-master dynamics and the commentary on classism in this book is spot on。 Even the religious commentary is well done。 However the book lacks any sort of identity coming off the same as trashy murder mystery novels that the main character Balram is always reading。 One of my major flaws with this book is the lack of cultural identity that Balram has and the idea that he is a chameleon to any sort of lifestyle。 While this is a lovely idealistic vi I am giving this a star because I do feel the servant-master dynamics and the commentary on classism in this book is spot on。 Even the religious commentary is well done。 However the book lacks any sort of identity coming off the same as trashy murder mystery novels that the main character Balram is always reading。 One of my major flaws with this book is the lack of cultural identity that Balram has and the idea that he is a chameleon to any sort of lifestyle。 While this is a lovely idealistic vision， unfortunately the way Indian society is made it is almost impossible to assimilate fully into any community you are not born off。 The book makes it seem that caste is not a problem in modern day India and instead it is class which makes a distinction。 That itself is a false accusation as caste is something that haunts modern day India daily。 I also felt the book had a problem with its language as a lot of the phrases he uses just don't work in Hindi which would be expected since the author is not a native Hindi speaker。 The book also definitely seems especially complimentary to south Indians which while is pleasing to my ears as a fellow South Indian， it's also false as the south is not removed from the problems of caste/class that Balram claims。 All in all， it made sense to me why this book did so well in the west due to poverty porn and the general lack of cultural identity the book has。 It was a below average book that was overhyped。1。5 stars。 。。。more

AA ，

As an Indian who grew up in the West this was quite a harrowing read。 A real exposé of the class system that still dominates India and the story of how one man broke free from its shackles。 But it isn’t an “inspirational” tale as you might expect…

Chandru M ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 GOOD

Brian ，

Half confession， half （well， more than half， at the risk of revealing my inner Yogi Bera）， an indictment of capitalism and the never-ending struggle between haves and have-nots。 Set in India， but in too many ways universal。 I highly recommend， especially for any 1 percenters out there。

Annie ，

king talked about his beak a few too many times and I didn't even know he was talking about his peener so you could have riddled me confused for a good few moments。 good book though I thought was pretty good I think king talked about his beak a few too many times and I didn't even know he was talking about his peener so you could have riddled me confused for a good few moments。 good book though I thought was pretty good I think 。。。more

Carrie Edwards ，

Brilliant。 Original approach， but hilarious and fascinating account of modern-day India。 A real page-turner， easy-to-read and engaging。

Nilesh Sutar ，

Story of life in Indian Society and caste system A thrilling journey of a boy from poor to rich。 The viewpoint on life and system in village and town with its differences is subtle。 Fully agree with the point Business entrepreneurship can only come after Social entrepreneurship

Jude Parker ，

quite funny and interesting story， tad boring at times but an engaging narrative

Reza ，

Buku yang menarik karna disini kita akan mendengarkan cerita Balram yang merupakan anak dari keluarga kecil di desa Laxmangarh dekat sungai gangga yang seringkali di gambarkan dengan sungai suci bagi orang Hindu， tapi di sini Balram sebagai salah satu orang dari kasta rendah dan hidup dalam garis kemiskinan menceritakan India dengan jujur， apa adanya dimana ia memperlihatkan rupa gelap dari India terlebih tentang perbudakan dan bagaimana sistem kasta yang masih sangat melekat itu sangat berpenga Buku yang menarik karna disini kita akan mendengarkan cerita Balram yang merupakan anak dari keluarga kecil di desa Laxmangarh dekat sungai gangga yang seringkali di gambarkan dengan sungai suci bagi orang Hindu， tapi di sini Balram sebagai salah satu orang dari kasta rendah dan hidup dalam garis kemiskinan menceritakan India dengan jujur， apa adanya dimana ia memperlihatkan rupa gelap dari India terlebih tentang perbudakan dan bagaimana sistem kasta yang masih sangat melekat itu sangat berpengaruh dalam kehidupan mereka。Disini kita juga akan dikenalkan dengan tokoh lain yang menjadi represntasi dari bermacam bentuk manusia misalnya， ayah dan paman dari Ashok yang menjadi representasi orang kaya yang kolot yang masih suka memperbudak mereka dadi kasta rendah， serta Ashok dan istrinya sebagai manusia modern yang telah lama tinggal di Amerika。 Dimana dengan begitu kita bisa melihat pemikiran serta kepribadian dari masing-masing serta sudut pandang mereka tentang bagaimana kehidupan di India。Baik dalam buku dan film Balram berhasil menjadi pencerita yang baik sehingga ceritanya semakin di ikuti semakin menarik。 。。。more

Sally Armstrong ，

Good novel， but seemed to mimic the same storyline in Mohsin Hamid's Mothsmoke。 Good novel， but seemed to mimic the same storyline in Mohsin Hamid's Mothsmoke。 。。。more

Keli H。 ，

This is the kind of book that you will remember reading for the rest of your life！ :） Intelligent and impactful

Nélson Miguel ，

Cativante

Laiqah ，

It was quite the experience reading The White Tiger， and I was hooked from the very start。 Adiga has written a fast paced， vivid and conflicting story。 This epistolary novel follows the story of a man born in poverty who becomes a driver for a corrupt landlord family， and later becomes an entrepreneur。 Our narrator is penning a letter to Mr Jiabao， the Chinese Premier who is coming on a state visit to India to learn about Indian entrepreneurship。 At it’s core it is a criminal origin story， explo It was quite the experience reading The White Tiger， and I was hooked from the very start。 Adiga has written a fast paced， vivid and conflicting story。 This epistolary novel follows the story of a man born in poverty who becomes a driver for a corrupt landlord family， and later becomes an entrepreneur。 Our narrator is penning a letter to Mr Jiabao， the Chinese Premier who is coming on a state visit to India to learn about Indian entrepreneurship。 At it’s core it is a criminal origin story， exploring all the small and big moments that are eating away at the narrator， until he commits his crime （this is foreshadowed right at the start）。 At a wider glance， the book is a commentary on society itself。 Through the narration of the triggering， sexist， male gaze we gain insight into the systems of corruption， poverty， and anti-Muslim sentiment in India。 Interestingly， Adiga describes society as either being in the light or the darkness。 The darkness is a huge character in the story， and it refers to the poor， rural areas， and everything associated with them。 Due to the injustice in the story， I got mad for the narrator but I was also sickened by him and his thoughts。 There was a complete lack of self awareness and many moments of irony。 Overall， the novel is clever。 It demonstrates the web of deceit the narrator spins for himself。 Events are mirrored throughout to demonstrate that whilst the narrator has come out of poverty and made progress， he is bolstering the same system he was so repulsed by to begin with。 P。S - I watched the movie straight after and would recommend reading the book first。 It was cast very well and a solid adaptation but the book was better！ Read more of my reviews here: https://instagram。com/neverreading？ig。。。 ✨ 。。。more

Laura ，

Has some great moments of prose， and a fair amount tof dark humor， but overall underwhelming

Catherine Mac ，

I watched the film a year or so ago and found it strange and almost a little disturbing， but now reading the book a lot more makes sense。 I enjoyed the book far more as I like how it is written in the form of letters。

Brian ，

Great writer， but…I’m not very familiar with India or their culture， and that’s what Initially made me pick this book up。 The description of the protagonist also caught my attention。 I love a book with a good rascal at the main character。I seem to be in the minority here， but I hated pretty much every character。 They all seem to be self centered horrible people。 Anyone in the story who isn’t a horrible person gets screwed over or dies a horrible death。 Master Ashtok had more humanity in him than Great writer， but…I’m not very familiar with India or their culture， and that’s what Initially made me pick this book up。 The description of the protagonist also caught my attention。 I love a book with a good rascal at the main character。I seem to be in the minority here， but I hated pretty much every character。 They all seem to be self centered horrible people。 Anyone in the story who isn’t a horrible person gets screwed over or dies a horrible death。 Master Ashtok had more humanity in him than any of the main characters， and he too is a horrible human in my opinion。 I was hoping it would end with the death of the main character by heinous act of self sabotage。The book also makes India seem like a horrible place。 I’m off to find some other literature based in the area。 There’s got to be more to the place than this book portrays。 。。。more

Kartikey Singh ，

Aravind has hit the bullseye in depicting the poor man's hardships and how a well-oiled system keeps them trapped in a cage。 Balram Halwai a man who is a keen listener， listens to the demon within to break the cage and become a free man。 Aravind takes us on a ride and makes us feel and root for the protagonist even when he is an anti-hero。Some of the quotes that I liked:1。 “The moment you recognize what is beautiful in this world， you stop being a slave”。2。 “You ask 'Are you a man or a demon？' N Aravind has hit the bullseye in depicting the poor man's hardships and how a well-oiled system keeps them trapped in a cage。 Balram Halwai a man who is a keen listener， listens to the demon within to break the cage and become a free man。 Aravind takes us on a ride and makes us feel and root for the protagonist even when he is an anti-hero。Some of the quotes that I liked:1。 “The moment you recognize what is beautiful in this world， you stop being a slave”。2。 “You ask 'Are you a man or a demon？' Neither， I say。 I have woken up， and the rest of you are sleeping， and that is the only difference between us。” 。。。more

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