Book Review: Between The Assassinations

Between the Assassinations
By Aravind Adiga
Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: June 9, 2009
ISBN:978-1439152928

Between the Assassinations is a short story collection serving as a prequel to Aravind Adiga's Man Booker prize winning novel The White Tiger. The stories told take place between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi (1984) and Rajiv Gandhi (1991). The book is formed into somewhat of a guidebook for those visiting Kittur, a small city located on India's southwestern coast. The beautiful city is described in depth with vivid details of the rivers, the paths never taken, and, most importantly, the people. Each short story is preluded with an excerpt from a guide book for a week-long tour of this city. The stories take place in different parts of the city - highlighting certain monuments and houses. Each story shows how complex the lives are, in a city where Hindu, Muslim and Christians all live together and, mostly, don't like one another. The rich live by the poor, and everyone struggles due to caste. The book is gritty, descriptive, and unforgiving.

Between the Assassinations was an incredibly interesting and brilliant look at the lives of people in India - how much they go through, and, ultimately, at times, how much they suffer. I really enjoyed the overall setup of the book. The lackluster and traditional guidebook brilliantly contrasts with the exciting and vibrant lives of the people within the messy city. The book shows how the city is ruled by corruption and how people tried to go against it- tried to make their mark and, ultimately, survive.

The book is written extremely well and the descriptions are spot on. Each story is its own entity, yet each important in its own way. I loved the story of Xerox, the man who sold illegally copied books. He was arrested 21 times, yet still sold them to support his daughter. That is, until he tries to sell a copy of The Satanic Verses. There's also Jayamma, the eighth of nine daughters, who has to work in order for her sisters to be married off. Or also Abbasi who has to choose between surviving in the economy by making his sewers go blind working for him, or losing it all.

Each story is powerful, yet gruesome at times and offers little hope. The book was definitely exceptionally written and has a nice mixture of humor, sympathy and honesty. I can't say it's a book i'll pick up and flip through again, however I'm glad I read it. It's a book you must be in the mood for, in order to truly appreciate it.

Also, I loved the cover.

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