Source: http://j.mp/iOwUDoI got ‘A Fine Balance’ at Dishoom (a London Indian restaurant) as part of the ‘World Book Night 2011’ which basically promotes writing and power of books by distributing near 1 million books for free.
A Fine Balance is definitely not a light read. The book is full of dark, depressing and disturbing scenes. Despite the bleak and stark reality of India during the Emergency in India in 1970s, the book inspires in its own way. It inspires in comparison to what Indians have achieved today, more so than India. The writing in the book is superb. Rohinton paints a vivid picture with his words and transports the reader into the world of his characters. It doesn’t matter how different the read is to the characters; the reader ends up connecting with and understanding the vastly different stories of each of the four protagonists of the book. The book is also an eye-opener to the realities of India during the Emergency rule and how the lay-man suffered to fulfill the political agenda of dirty politicians. This might still be the case in India today, but the sufferings during the Emergency were of another level.
I loved reading the book and felt enlightened about the India of the 1970s that I had not witnessed. The book is a great read but not for when you’re feeling down and depressed.
No comments:
Post a Comment