A Fine Balance (1995)

Beautifully written but tragic. I knew very little about India's unrest of the 1970s so it was a learning experience within a story of four friends from different castes. ( )

This blew my mind. I won't ever read it again-it's too harrowing, but I will never, ever forget it. To me it is obvious the author has read and loved Charles Dickens. There is so much that echoes him here but with an added modern twist. Rather more graphic cruelty, but the wonderfully rendered main characters and the cast of eccentrics, villains and saints that support, recall Dickens at his very best. There were times whilst reading this when I was almost afraid to continue -I could not bear to find out what further injustices could be heaped upon such good people. And I came out after the last traumatic few pages thinking there but for the grace of God....a few chance events, even a few wrong words alter lives for ever. Stunning. ( )

It took some effort to get through the first third or so (took me a week!), while Mistry sets up his four characters and brings them together. After that, it's simply un-put-downable and I read the remaining two-thirds in one sitting. When I finished, it was 7am in the morning and I'd been reading all night!

Since my review is kinda long (no spoilers though), I've posted it on my blog at http://dickfeynman.github.io/blog/writings/thoughts-on-rohinton-mistry-s-novel-a... ( )

5/5

One of the best books I have read in a while. The writing was beautiful, the story was so beautifully crafted. It made me feel like a myriad of emotions - sadness, happiness, anger, fear. I feel like I just lived with the characters. I was attached to them. I haven't felt this sheer amount of sadness in a very long time. It is that book that leaves you ugly crying. ( )

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12972507

Wow. What an epic novel.

The story is about four people who become friends during the years of The Emergency in India (1975-77). That emergency and the years after were the product of Prime Minister Indira Ghandi, who in this book is simply referred to as the Prime Minister, never by name.

The characters experience many of the abuses that took place during that near-two-year period. At times I wondered if Mistry created the characters so that they could experience or observe the atrocities, as well as show us the differences in how The Emergency affected the different cultural groups. The caste system was still alive and well, in spite of efforts to stamp it out. Too many generations living in this system made it difficult for individuals to break out.

Maneck is Parsi, a small but influential minority in India. He leaves his home in the mountains, where his father runs a general store, to seek further education. Disturbed by the condition of the dormitory and the behavior of fellow lodgers, he seeks lodging elsewhere, and ends up in the small apartment of Dina Dalal, a friend of his family. Dina is from a prominent family, but has fallen on hard times following the death of her husband. She is determined to make her way and tries to avoid going to her brother for help.

Also arriving at Dina's house at the same time are the two tailors: Ishvar and Om. They are the surviving members of their family of "untouchables", having broken away from the work of the clan, tanning, and taken up tailoring. They go to work for Dina, making clothing from patterns and material provided by a clothing company. Rather than employ people in a single location, the manufacturer contracts with many people who in turn hire tailors.

It is an uneasy alliance that gradually softens. Dina has difficulty overcoming the prejudices of her past, the assumptions that some people are simply better than others. Maneck provides the glue that somehow connects the unlikely group. If only they all could have stayed safe from outside influences. But they are constantly affected by the decrees of The Emergency and the corruption rampant within the police force.

This is no feel-good novel, yet it is a story, in a way, of hope. The "fine balance" is between hope and despair. You might be able to guess who can keep finding hope and who cannot. ( )