The White Tiger
While being labeled as from the same vein as Chuck Palaniuk (see Fight Club, Choke, and his other masterpieces), I just didn't find this book to be that compelling.
Well, I should back up.....
The White Tiger is written as a stream-of-consciousness open letter from Balram Halwai to the Premeire of China. In his rambling letter written over the course of 7 nights, Balram relates how he rose up from being a member of the servant class to ultimately becoming a sucessful entrepreneur. Balram interweaves his story with his observations on Indian society, Chinese society, and the wider world.
So, sounds like a great story, right? where does it go wrong? well, Balram spends a ridiculous amount of time setting up the finale, but when you reach the end, you are left incredibly underwhelmed. I wanted to stop reading the book many times, but I kept going with the promise of a payoff. I reached the end, and wow, I was disappointed. No grand payoff, no great revelation, nothing. I reached the end and felt cheated...and that's the worst feeling after dedicated a large chunk of time to a book.
My advice to you, the reader, is that unless you are very interested in reading a unique perspective of India, skip this book. Rather than reading something in the same vein as Chuck Palanik, just read some Chuck Palanik. everybody already knows the story from fight club, so skip that.....and start with Invisible Monsters. It won't let you down
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