And the Booker goes to

Ever since the Booker nominations came out, Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger was mentioned as the dark horse in the race. Amitav Ghosh was among the front runners for the prize but Aravind Adiga came out on top eventually. Indian writers winning international book awards are becoming more common. What is more commendable is that this is Aravind Adiga’s first book. With the Indian publishing industry growing drastically, awards like these would bring more cheer.

The shortlist itself propels the books from relative obscurity to prominence. Before the shortlist,The White Tiger managed to sell only a few thousand copies.

I did read the book much before the shortlist was out. The story revolves around a guy from rural India coming to work as a driver in the city. It also covers his observations on city life, rich-poor divide, high society and how he eventually strikes out on his own. Although I found the story to be different, I wouldn’t term it as outstanding.