An amusing and somewhat frightening portrayal of life in modern India, and what it takes to get ahead, White Tiger is a thoroughly engaging story. It’s a look at the humble origins and gradual climb to success of Balram, an entrepreneur in Bangalore. Growing up in India’s back country, he eventually lands a job as a driver to a wealthy landowner, which is the ticket to life in the big city, an introduction to modernity, and eventually… a form of success.

The format and perspective is a little unusual - an epistolary format written from a Bangalore entrepreneur to the Premier of China, who is planning a visit to his city. But it works quite well, and allows for breaks in the story line that would not otherwise be so readily explained. The voice sounds quite authentic - Balram’s English, a second language he learned late in life, still sounds broken and a little anachronistic. It has a touch of the servant still willing to please his employer, even years after he has gone into business itself. And the plot itself is quite gripping, even though we are told what will happen from quite an early point in the book.

This is a work of fiction with some twists and turns that are probably pretty outrageous as measured against the real life and times of India’s rising middle class. Still, one gets the impression that the outrageousness is only probable - and in point of fact it may be a touch realistic, after all. It’s a great, if sobering, introduction to India’s version of the American dream.