Between the Assassinations

A most enjoyable reading experience.

I decided to read this book after having really enjoyed "The White Tiger". In this book, Aravind Adiga does another terrific job of describing the realities of India. I am not a big fan of short story formats as I prefer a longer and more comprehensive stories. I think the thing I did not like about these stories was the lack of respect people seem to have for each other in the Indian culture and the negative outcome that occurred to virtually all of the main characters in these short stories. I have been to India and met many Indians and I cannot fathom that it is as bad as portrayed by by the author. Nonetheless I appreciate his story telling skills and plan to read other of his books.

I so loved White Tiger that I was thrilled to discover Between the Assassinations. This book is effectively a collection of short stories told from the perspective of different people all residing in the same town. What I liked about it: - occassionally characters meet (although dont expect much of this). - the author provides a choronological account of events that take place in India and Kittal which then relate to the short stories that you have read about. (However, I thought that this should have been put up front, as it would've made far more sense to the reader whilst progressing through the book). - accounts of India and Indian life are portrayed very well and doesnt make the reader work "too hard" to imagine him/herself immersed in the setting. What I didnt like about it: - no story line (this was "sort of" picked up with the chronology of events at the end, but by time I had gotten to this I had forgotten some relevant content in many of the stories so it was lost) - quite slow moving I think the author could've worked this better perhaps by developing relationships between the characters in the book or providing a bit more convincing storyline. In any event, I do recommend this book, just not highly. I didnt thoroughly enjoy it but it was readable.

This series of short stories gives a gripping and unique look into life in modern India. The characters come at us from all parts of the society, and each one has an incredible story. Although these are short stories, they tie together smoothly and complete each other in their own way. Anyone who enjoys reading about India should not miss this book.

I was so happy to find other novels by Aravind Adiga. Read White Tiger a year or so ago and now I have two more earlier novels of his. He is wonderful at character development, writes very well and keeps the reader interested. In this book he showcases the different lives of the caste system in India and the different religions all clustered in one area. I enjoy learning about his culture through his novels. The next one Last Man in the Tower is even BETTER!

Excellent, insightful portrayal of the complex and discriminatory society in India.

I really have mixed feelings about this one. I read The White Tiger and I loved it. I had to read it for school and it turned out to be a book that I would want to read on my own. I have put this book down half way through and I will finish it but I don't know when. The White Tiger is 5 stars. This one may drop to a 2 star depending on the second half of the book...

I enjoyed reading these stories. The author was able to bring to life a rainbow of characters set in an India that may or may not exist anymore - the world is changing very fast. The stories are an easy read. Rich characters and interesting narrative kept me looking for more. An easy way to step into the culture and custom of a nation. Most enjoyable read.

well written, a quick read. I really like his last book white tiger, was better and more engaging but this one is not bad.

The news of the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 reaches the town of Kittur in southern India via the BBC. Seven years later, the assassination of her son Rajiv is announced to the townspeople via CNN. The fourteen stories in this collection tell the tales of the town and its residents over the intervening period. And what a miserable tale they tell! This falls firmly into the miseryfest genre so beloved of many Indian authors, as epitomised by Rohinton Mistry in a book that surpasses even Steinbeck for its portrayal of human misery, A Fine Balance. I mention it because I felt that a young Adiga must have been strongly influenced by that book when writing this debut collection*, and seems to be competing for the prize for Most Miserable Fiction of All Time. In the end, his natural humour and humanity means that he fails – for some of his characters at least life is not irredeemably hopeless, cruelly though Adiga treats them. The stories are political though not polemical. Adiga is setting out to show the evils of profound poverty, the caste system, religious sectarianism, and corruption. His excellent writing and his skill at drawing believable and complex characters with just a few strokes of the pen are already on display, and this carried me through – just – when the misery overload was tempting me to give up. In later books Adiga gets a much better balance, still showing the huge divides and inequalities in Indian society, but also allowing his characters to enjoy at least some of the good things in life. In this one, we are shown his characters brutalised in every imaginable way. Men are beaten by their employers, women are used as little more than slaves, children are forced to beg on the streets. There are lepers and people with disabilities of all kinds, often as a result of horrific workplace conditions, all begging from a society that would rather look the other way. There are hopeless people living lives empty of love or joy. There are drunks and drug addicts, and men with sexually transmitted diseases, and people scrabbling in bins for scraps of food to keep them alive for another hellish day. There are parents who don’t love their children and children who don’t love their parents. And there’s extremism, and terrorism, and death. It’s not that I find any of this unbelievable nor that I feel it shouldn’t be written about. It’s that when there’s a complete lack of contrast the whole thing quite quickly becomes numbing. The greatest tragedies rely on the reader caring about the characters and having hope for them, and then seeing that hope destroyed. Adiga achieves the first part here – I cared about many of these characters – but it soon becomes obvious that they are to be given no hope and so it becomes simply a matter of watching their misery drag out until the story ends. When the aspect of hope is removed, it feels to me that what is left is more like reportage, for which of course there is an important place. But I’d suggest that that place is not in fiction. I nearly gave up several times along the way but in the end I’m glad I stuck with it, since the last couple of stories have a rather different tone, with much more of the nuance I expect from Adiga. Finally he shows that not everyone in the town is in the deepest poverty and he suggests that there are improvements beginning to happen even for those at the very bottom. His characters still suffer, but of slightly higher level misery – love, family and politics – rather than the starkness of hunger, brutality and disease. At last there are glimmerings of hope, if not for the individuals, at least for the society. And with the return of hope along comes a little humour which gives a much-needed lift. I have no idea whether he wrote the stories in order and over a period of time or not, but it felt to me as I read them that his style developed from being sub-Mistry in the early ones to being distinctly Adiga by the end. Would I recommend it? Yes, certainly, to the many people who love Mistry and don’t share my aversion to unrelieved misery in fiction, and also to Adiga fans who will probably be interested, as I was, to see how he started out. But I wouldn’t recommend it as an introduction to him for new readers – for the most part I don’t think it’s as good as his later style becomes. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up. *Although this was published after The White Tiger, I believe that it was written earlier but failed to find a publisher until that one won him the Booker.

This book is an absolute must for anyone travelling in India.After reading " the white Tiger " I was completely hooked.Aravid Adiga is a sensational writer .He introduces you into the Indian mentality as no guidebook can. Travelling in Kerala,my outlook changed completely and made my stay in every place so much more special.I interacted with the local population on a whole different level & left this magical country enriched with new friends and many,many beautiful memories. Thank you .

Third book I read from Adiga and they are all absolutely amazing. If you want to know how India "works", this will make you understand.

A book like this may not (and usually does not) appeal to a few individuals. But this was a compelling, intriguing and thought provoking read. I was hooked, intrigued and glad that this wax written. Aravind Adiga covers so many aspects in the India between 1984 and 1991 with such delicacy that it leaves you scratching your head sometimes. At times the endings are unambiguous but just the journey leading upto it is so poignant to our times. Aspects like casteism, internal scuffles, ironies of life, paradoxes and dark shades of human behaviour are painted with due care and subtlety and yet they are very much in your face. And that's probably where this book is a clear winner. It will take you to get your brains ticking and is no breezy read, but to those looking for something different this one is a must read for sure. The characters linger deep in your mind even after the pages have exhausted themselves. You will feel spent but it will be bittersweet, just the way the book probably intended it to be. The stories are not your usual stuff. They intrude deep into the psyche of the characters and we are lead into their thoughts, their confusions, self loathings and insecurities. All in a small town of a nation finding its feet and dealing with all these aspects at a macro level. Pick this book. If you are patient enough to go through it you wont regret it.