White Tiger, continued

I have yet to read Adiga's prize-winning tome (I've been reading, I've been reading...just lots of other great stuff:)). However, while chopping veggies for Thanksgiving dinner on the morning of November 26th, I caught NPR's "Reader's Review" on my kitchen radio. Diane Rehm hosted a discussion of "The White Tiger" in which fellow participants included Deirdre Donahue (book critic for USA TODAY), Elaine Showalter (Princeton English Prof and 2007 Booker Chair), and Arvind Subramanian (senior fellow @ Center for Global Development). It was a great discussion and I came away with a good feel for the novel. The panel members were shocked and entertained in equal measure, with Mr. Subramanian providing needed insights into contemporary Indian culture and the current role of India as a global economic force. The overall consensus was that the novel offered much to entertain, being a darkly humorous tale of young man's rise from rural Indian village life to entrepreneurial success. Called into question were the author's ability to understand the lifestyle of impoverished Indians (he comes from the country's upper class) and the moral weakness of the story's protagonist.