Customer Reviews

Q & A: A Novel

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1 star:		(5)

 

 

Despite heartrending descriptions of sexual abuse, racism, poverty, homeless and much, much, more in modern India, this is an utterly enjoyable picaresque adventure that is one of the best reads of the year. In the hands of another author, the brief life story Ram Mohammad Thomas would probably be told as a simple tearjerker tragedy and the reader would be left to shake their head sorrowfully at the plight of another poor third-world soul. However, Swarup has a gimmick framework up his sleeve, and it works like a charm. Granted, one has to be willing to go along with the premise that this entire structure is based on coincidence of colossal proportions -- readers who aren't willing to suspend disbelief will probably not last more than a few chapters.

We first meet the 18-year-old protagonist in jail, where he sits accused of defrauding the popular TV game show "Who Wants to Be A Billionaire?" (in rupees). Despite being abandoned at birth, uneducated, and left to fend for himself for most of his life, it seems Ram somehow managed to answer the show's twelve questions correctly. To all outside observers, his social standing and lack of education appear to preclude this happening legitimately. However, just as the police are about to unleash some heavy manners on him, a mysterious lawyer intervenes and takes him away. The story then unfolds question by question, as Ram tells her via flashbacks to his life just how he managed to know each answer.

Ram's life story unfolds as a series of episodes ranging from the horrific to the merely tragicomic, and in a sense, one can view him as emblematic of India's lost children, and the book as caustic social commentary on contemporary India. Aside from being abandoned at birth, he must contend with a pedophile priest, a closeted homosexual movie star, a violent, drunken neighbor bent on incest, international espionage, child slavery, numerous thieves, a suicidal employer, and the deaths of several close friends. And yet, despite this bleak subject matter, the intrepid Ram keeps doggedly moving forward and surviving. This isn't done in a sentimental, "triumph of the human sprit", after-school special way, but in a straightforward manner that shows a confused young boy doing whatever it takes to live. And of course, the ultimate moral of the story is that those who keep their eyes and ears open in life can learn a lot about it without any books. An excellent story, well-told, and doubtless to be made into a film.

Ram Mohammad Thomas is a boy from the Indian slums who has entered a "Who wants to be a millionaire" style television quiz show. Despite his lack of formal education, his life experiences have perfectly equipped him to answer each question that comes up. Because the show's organizers are sure that he must have cheated, they ask him to explain how he was able to answer such difficult and obscure questions. Each chapter deals with another question and answer, and as the book progresses his very colorful life story is also gradually revealed.

This is not the most well written book I've read, but the way that the plot unfolds is very clever and keeps the reader's attention throughout. As each question is revealed, you can't help thinking "okay, now how is he going to integrate THIS into Ram's story?" and it's fun to see the way that he does, while also advancing the central plot. Slumdog Millionaire tears along at a quick pace: some parts are very amusing while others are very sad, but Swarup doesn't dwell on either. The way it all comes together at the end is highly contrived, but does make for a satisfactory conclusion.

If you enjoy books about India, there are other books that are more realistic or better written (I especially recommend the wonderful and highly moving novel "A Fine Balance"), but this is an easy and entertaining story that captures much of the essence of this fascinating country.

UPDATED 12/27: I have now seen the film Slumdog Millionaire. While the film has the taken the central theme and structure of the book, it also has many differences - for starters, the hero's name. Many plot elements of Ram/Dev's life story are entirely different in the film vs the book. Essentially the film is a very simplified version and hinges on the romance with Latika, which is not the case in the book. For me, the film works brilliantly, but it is not a slavish adaptation. This book is more "the book that inspired the film" rather than "the book of the film".

an 18 year old uneducated waiter from bombay wins the largest ever prize-money awarded in a "who wants to be a billionaire?" quiz show. naturally, the organisers suspect foul play. did he have insider information about the questions? or did someone in the audience tip him off using signs? how could a person of such low socail standing know the answers to these difficult questions? vikas swarup's protagonist, tells his life story through each question. it just so happens that through a series of enormous coincidences, incidents in his life have provided him the answers to justthese 12 questions. as he narrates his life story question by question and answer by answer, we discover a plucky hero who has fought ahead in life through sheer courage and mental strength.

although, the stories start off bleak dealing with such weighty topics as pedophilia, homosexuality, incest, child abuse, the underworld .. the overall effect of the novel is sprightly and enjoyable. while this might not be for the squeamish, it is bound to provide good payoffs for those who stick by it.

i was lucky to be able to lay my hands on an advance copy of this book. i am normally very skeptical of indian writers in english, but vikas swarup offers us a polished debut that showcases good storytelling skills.

i would recommend this novel for people interested in a ripping yarn, and not for those interested in reading about the underbelly of indian metropolis life. this is a story with liberal license used by the author, thatstretches ones believability at points, but when the plotting is as interesting as this, one can indulge the author in his fancies.

There are enough differences in the wonderful movie and this engaging book that you won't be bored reading it even though you have seen the movie. You will be on the edge of your 'easy chair' while reading this.

Author Swarup has a unqiue plan for telling the life story of Indian orphan Ram Mohammad Thomas. The novel opens with Ram in jail for correctly answering all thirteen questions on the show Who Will Will a Billion? The corrupt producers of the show would be bankrupted by having to pay out a billion rupees to the winner, and they never imagined at the poor orphan would be able to answer even two or three of the questions, so they get in league with the police to attempt to defraud Ram of his winnings.

Enter a kind lawyer who heard of Ram's predicament. Throughout one evening, he tells her a series of twelve vignettes about his life, each of which helped him know the answer to one of the quiz show questions. Despite his poverty and lack of a family support system, Ram has lived a fascinating life, coming into money and losing it all, making friends, losing companions, and seeing the most amazing and unusual incidents. Ram Mohammad Thomas himself is an enigma--is he Hindu, Muslim, or Christian? He is a shape-shifter who can blend into different environments and assume different personality traits as needed. Ram has lived with a security-fanatic Australian army colonel, worked as a servant and confidante to an aging and depressed Bollywood film star, lived with a kind priest, fallen in love with a prostitute, worked as an unofficial tour guide to the Taj Mahal, rescued a family on a train from a bandit, caught thieves in his employers' homes, worked as a bartender and heard some amazing stories, and more. All of his stories are told with a charmning innocence--Ram always assumes the best of people, only to discover they are weakened due to alcoholism or political fraud or inner demons. One of my favorite parts was when a teenaged Ram tried to find a red light upon entering the red light district, only to have the nature of the neighborhood dawn on him several minutes later.

Ram doesn't always live on the up-and-up in terms of the law, but he lives by his heart and tries to do right by the good people of his country. The conclusion of the book is absolutely beautiful, as many of Ram's good deeds in life come full circle to pay him back, and he is able to carve out his niche in India.

How many Pyramids are there in Egypt? Where is Guantánamo? What is Light year?

These are not the questions answered by Ram Mohammed Thomas, a slum survivor to win a billion rupees in a Quiz Show. However he asks a very poignant question, is this required knowledge and how it is different from the knowledge which he has acquired...............that his neighbor beats his wife, that the water comes only at a certain part of the day, that gay men are forced to look for comfort in dimmed lights of a movie theater.

It is a well written piece of work where characters come to life and stay with you. The author has brilliantly closed out on all lines of thoughts to form full circles. As they say in India - Paisa Vasool (Money's worth)

There are a billion people in India, and one wins a billion rupees on "Who Will Win a Billion?", truly a one-in-a-billion shot. The one who wins is asked the only questions he could probably answer in the world, by a coincidence equivalent to his odds. From this timely and gripping premise, Vikas Swarup has crafted a wonderful novel, taking Ram Mohammed Thomas through his entire life in the way he explains how he, a poor 18-year old waiter, was able to answer each of the questions that led to his billion, and also to a stint in a Mumbai jail.

The book unfolds in the order of the questions Ram was asked on the quiz show, with his explanation of how he learned each answer forming the story. The most poignant part covers his period of time in Agra, where he works as a tourist guide at the Taj Mahal, befriends a boy who speaks nonsense, falls in love with a girl forced into prostitution and suddenly realizes that he must get on this quiz show to effect his life's destiny. I cried as that chapter ended.

Swarup is not a polished writer (he's a lawyer turned novelist) and he didn't experience many of the places or events of this book (he is well-educated and lives in England). But the book was clearly written with passion and compassion and a great deal of understanding and love for India and for his characters. His use of coincidence sometimes comes off as heavy-handed, until you realize that the entire story is about that one in a billion chance. Somewhere in heaven, Douglas Adams, inventor of the infinite improbability drive, is smiling reading this book.

You might say that at times this book could be "over the top" or have too many coincidences, but the story is really about luck and the lives of people around the main character, how they affect him and how he affects them. I love the way the book is set out - each chapter is an individual and amazing story that somehow in the end is important and makes a big difference in the course of the main character's life. The story takes us all over India (which was great to me because I have recently been to India and recognized many places, scenes and features of their culture). I think this is an amazing debut novel and everyone should read it if they have, will or want to see the movie.

I saw the movie Slumdog Millionaire last week. It fully deserved the praise that it has received. Well acted, stunningly filmed, filled with moments of drama and humour, it is one of the great modern films.


When I saw the film I had just started the book. I wondered if the one would spoil the other. But they are very different. The general theme is the same. They both tell the story of an Indian Street kid - a slumdog -who gets a chance to win a fortune on the famous TV programme. The film gives us a vivid snapshot of the helplessness of poverty - and the power of wealth. The book takes this to another level.

Its central character Rav moves from one tragic event to another. The one consistent thread is his poverty and helplessness. The narrative is chronologically chaotic. This is because it follows the thread of the questions rather than the thread of Ram's life. And this is the key to one theme of the book - the point of knowledge. When asked how a poor waiter can possibly have known the answers without cheating he says -

"And I bet you, if the poor conducted a quiz, the rich wouldn't be able to answer a single question. I don't know the currency of ....France.... but I know how much money Shalini Tai owes our neighbourhood moneylender. I don't know who was the first man on the moon but I can tell you who was first man to produce illegal DVDs in Dhavaru...."

The experience that takes him through the questions shows us the pain of his life of poverty. We smell the open drains, we feel the injustice, and we so want him to win.

The book provides some of the most powerful language that I have read. When he meets a beautiful prostitute in a seedy brothel he asks whether she is not afraid of AIDS. She replies -

"But it is better to die of disease tomorrow than hunger today, don't you agree?"

And when he spends time with some wealthy tourists he becomes disturbed at the effect of comfort -


"I wonder what it feels like to have no desires left because you have satisfied them all, smothered them with money even before they are born. Is an existence without desire very desirable? And is the poverty of desire better than rank poverty itself?"

This is a great book (and a great movie - a rare double act). It has a more challenging message than a library of books, articles or blogs (!).

I am not telling you what happens. You will have to go and get a copy and read it - now!....

I have seen the movie first and read the book latter. Loved both of them. Which version is closer to reality? Both! Frankly, the director retold the story in a version palatable to the west.

First, why do I consider both versions to be closer to reality - In the book, there is a gay priest and a priest with a secret marriage. My hometown in Andhra Pradesh, India had both of them or quite a few of them. As kids, we were aware of teenagers getting gifts and foreign cigarrettes from this gay italian priest. And there is the priest who had sexual relations with the maid and supporting her family with cash. In the movie, the girl Latika getting scarred on her face, although throwing acid is more common in real life.

Vikas Swarup choose to tell the story in a very plain language, the few metaphors used in the book, I suspect were slipped in by the editors. He borrowed the story telling style from RK Narayan's "Guide", which starts in the middle of the story line, goes the beginning and then the end. Vikas took it to a whole new level by weaving the story between different episodes of the protagonists life in 13 chapters. The author included plenty of observations he made in his life. Every Indian has seen domestic child labor (as maids), blind kids begging on a busy street corner, police brutality etc. There is so much misery around, an average indian gets immune to it. Vikas was courageous enought to write about it and tell a gripping story too.

The author also borrowed a few items from Indian movies, like the double headed coin (from the movie Sholay). Is Neelima Kumari the real life actress Meena Kumari, or is it Parvin Bhabi who committed suicide? My suspicion is, the author borrowed a lot from his observations as a diplomat, world traveller and as an Indian. He wove them into a beautiful story, a wonderful fabric with many colors, details and designs.

It is a shame that this books did not win awards. Boring, long drawn books by indian authors won pulitzers. I guess, they were heavily promoted or had guiding hands from their parents who were 3rd class writers. It also tells a lot about the book reviewers. It took Danny Boyle to recognize the book and create a gem of a movie.

Having said that, except the story telling style, there is no commonality between the movie and the book. The book is very secular, from the protagonist's name "Ram Mohammed Thomas" to the misery around him. Secular that there is misery and deceit from the priests to the nefarious creatures who blind children, from westerners to indians, from rich to poor. This is missing in the movie. I suspect the changes were made in the movie for two reasons. One, to make it palatable to the western audience such as removing references to gay priests from England or to australlian diplomats running a spy ring. Second, Lovely Tandon (the co-director) and Anil Kapoor (game show host) Bollywoodised the movie with a "heroine" and also making the role of Prem Kumar the game show host a less nefarious charachter. With the galaxy size egos in Bollywood, it is not unimaginable that Anil Kapoor has demanded a modification of his charachter.

Except for the protaganits winning the money, the movie is a documentary of the plight of the under privlleged kids world wide, not only Indian. It is the story of Ismael Beah in Congo or any other kid in projects close to Manhattan or Chicago.

Two problems with the movie - The scene where Jamaal jumps into human excrement was unnecessary and not in the book. This is what angered most indians, both rich and poor. The second, in all the movies that I have seen so far, only the Hindus are shown attacking Muslims during a religious riot. The truth is, it is more complex. There are idiots on all sides creating trouble for the peace loving majority. I guess, the movie makers are just plain afraid to show a muslim being the perpetrator of a riot.

Other items I see as a correlation to real life are observations from my own experience as a kid: One of my neighbhours, a beautiful young doctor was abused by her husband, a drunk. Only when she committed suicide the rumor spread that she had cigarrette burns all over her body. Second, babies stolen from government hospitals to be sold to beggar mafia, Atleast there are news reports once in a while about stolen babies. You cannot round a busy street without encountering a girl with a drugged baby begging for money. Third, Guides in any tourist spot through out the world giving wonderfully altered versions of the history.

Next, street kids being smarter than kids going to school. There was this nine yeal old banana seller on the street who I met in my hometown a couple of years ago. You should see the sharpness of his mind to be believed, he can not only calculate the profit margin in %, prices, hedging against prices from the wholesale market, interest rates from the money lender a school kid cannot. It is needed for his survival. My family volunteered to pay for his education. He shouted back he makes Rs. 120 a day and has a sick mother, a young sister to feed. Who will earn the money if he goes to school? We tried to talk to him several times after that, but his assessment of the daily needs of his family were as accurate his math.

So, this is a documentary, not a fiction.

Contrast this to booksmart kids from middle class and rich class. It was nicely contrasted in the book, when Akshay a middle class kid knows that there is no Sony PS3 yet (2004), but gives away the survival skill of Ram Mohammed Thomas hiding cash in his underwear.

Great movie, great book.

Now, the ugliest of the ugliest truths, worse than the exploitation detailed in the movie - Child actors who played the roles of Salim and Latika, who were originally from the slums are paid a pittance. Danny Boyle and Fox movies did a PR stunt saying three times the local daily wages was paid. So, is it 150 rupees a day, 3 dollars a day? Sure they can have done a lot better than that. Money deoposited in the bank for the actors to cash out when they turn 18? How much was deposited? The truth needs to come out. The children and their families cannot live in a 6ftx6ft dwelling and lead the same life of daily survival as a challenge, waiting for some one to turn 18.

So, who is the best actor in the movie? The young Salim without any question. Better than Benjamin Button and Milk and 18 year Dev Patel combined. He deserves a better living, atleast after he demonstrated his artistic talent.