I liked this Jackie, wonder why you didnt. I agree anyway that Aravind didn’t grate with the letter thing.

I enjoyed the way it was written in the form of a (very long!) letter to the Chinese Premier. It meant the reader got a very good idea of Balram’s character, what shaped him and drove him to take the paths he did. The other characters in the story were not so well rounded – they were described only as the central character saw them, and actually I thought that was fine.

I quite liked Balram, not the nicest character I agree, but very human and very aware of the irony behind where he started in life, how he ended up where he wanted to be and the cost of that journey.

I’m glad I read it and although I would not rave about it as a “must read” I have passed my copy along and recommended that it is worth a read.