Recommendations from our site
“He’s an Indian-born Canadian writer. I left this till last because I don’t think I’ve read a better book when it comes to capturing life in a big, messy place which can be very hard and yet has some redeeming qualities. It’s set in India at the time of Mrs Gandhi’s quasi-dictatorship and state of emergency. The ‘fine balance’ of the title is the fine balance between hope and despair, which is explored by all the individuals in the story. They are all trying to make their fortune in a huge, unruly city which reminded me of Lagos. What’s striking about this book is that it is unsparingly and brutally honest. “ Read more...
Michael Peel, Foreign Correspondent
“A great romp of a novel, set in western India. In a way, it’s a precursor of Slumdog Millionaire, but much darker.” Read more...
The best books on The Poor and Their Money
Stuart Rutherford, Economist
