A White tiger is an animal that’s passionately hated or loved ,I mean the white thing with all the black stripes running across is sure to get noticed .The book by Mr Adiga is no different.theres nothing novel about the theme ,not an ounce of respect in it for anyone and boy, it churns the entrails of the upper middle class-rich Indian with its tales of darkness and spits it right out on your face.
Almost like Smack, spit and there, you take it types. Adiga for some queer reason rings in the memories of yet another wonderful book by an often moronic author-Salman Rushdie & his Midnight Children.
so why do people hate The White Tiger so much? some feel it takes India back by a good four decades and panders to the Western stereotypes its the whole Slumdog Millionaire argument again. Guys wake up ,I mean Adiga is not writing a document on India Shining and for heavens’ sake we are not China to construct images of our country in the minds of the westerners.Seriously theres not a single aspect in the book you can point your finger at and tell ,Oh that never happens here.Now as I liberally borrow from the author himself the solution lies in acknowledging and integrating the light and dark Indias. Many people think that’s a pacifist tale,like the agnostics, not strong enough to take a stance.but i believe India is not a debate to take sides and the bundle of contradictions that she’s exasperatingly and often wondrously turning out to be will have to be soon undone.
this book is brilliant not because of its scathing portrayal of India, far from it.I dont even agree with Adiga on a few occasions, Adiga’s book is not the suave gourmet with almost there spices and not enough to fill your stomach types, its more like the pani puri from the road side wallah that tastes wonderful and is most definitely going to make you fart bad and run an upset stomach.take with a pinch of salt but delight in its audacity of the pungent taste.The book is a delight for the way its written. Brilliantly cynical to the point of mocking everything-that innate Indian trait is seen here at its best. Its only at the end when he rants of on Balram Halwai’s attempt at reconciliation that he becomes boring but then that’s pardonable.so balram halwai mocks caste,creed,class,our Government,policies,past, why he mocks even our notion of the family and what a berating it is!
here are few particularly vicious ones:
1.Nonsense.The greatest thing to come out of this country in ten thousand years is the Rooster Coop.
2.there are three main diseases of this country typhoid,cholera and election fever. the last one is the worst;it makes people talk and talk about things that they have no say in.
3.(money embezzled) and transferred that money into a bank account in a small ,beautiful country in Europe full of white people and black money.
I could go on and on. This book is to be enjoyed for the style of writing,the savage wit,the caustic cynicism and the myriad images it churns out (who cares if all of which Adiga says is right or not ? when he’s so ruddy brilliant with his discerning remarks). So as Balram Halwai would tell you read it only if you can stomach the smell of the armpits, else stay away!
With The Fungus Gone. 
You sound so much like Balram Halwai, urf Aravind Adiga. But I really liked the review, and of course, the book.