Q & A: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: tragedy queen, idiot orphan boy, correct answer flashes, Prem Kumar, Father Timothy, Colonel Taylor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It was an inspired idea by Vikas Swarup to write Q & A...A broad and sympathetic humanity underpins the whole book."

-- The Sunday Telegraph, London

"Vikas Swarup weaves a delightful yarn. With an easy style, Q & A is sweet, sorrowful and funny. An enchanting tale."

-- The Sunday Tribune, India

"This page-turning novel reels from farce to melodrama to fairy tale."

-- You Magazine, London

"A very clever story told very cleverly and at a relentless pace."

-- The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

"Swarup is an accomplished storyteller, and Q & A has all the immediacy and impact of an oral account."

-- Daily Mail, London

"[A] rare, seemingly effortless brew of humour, drama, romance and social realism...Swarup...has achieved a triumph with this thrilling, endearing work which gets into the heart and soul of modern India."

-- The New Zealand Herald

"Q & A is that rare novel that chugs along on the parallel tracks of being a rollicking read as well as being a polished, varnished, finished work of impressive craftsmanship."

-- Hindustan Times, India

Product Description

Vikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest. But through a series of exhilarating tales Ram explains to his lawyer how episodes in his life gave him the answer to each question.

Ram takes us on an amazing review of his own history -- from the day he was found as a baby in the clothes donation box of a Delhi church to his employment by a faded Bollywood star to his adventure with a security-crazed Australian army colonel to his career as an overly creative tour guide at the Taj Mahal.

Swarup's Q & A is a beguiling blend of high comedy, drama, and romance that reveals how we know what we know -- not just about trivia, but about life itself. Cutting across humanity in all its squalor and glory, Vikas Swarup presents a kaleidoscopic vision of the struggle between good and evil -- and what happens when one boy has no other choice in life but to survive.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; Reprint edition (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743267486
• ISBN-13: 978-0743267489
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,720 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Book!!!, March 9, 2009

By	Misha Volkov - See all my reviews

After seeing Slumdog Millionaire, I told myself that I had to read the book. The book is wonderfully written and brings the same emotional energy from the film into writing, however most of the stories are extremely different. It is very clear to see how the book influenced the movie, but just don't be surprised on how different it really is. All and all, it was a fantastic read with a great ending that keeps you on your toes.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent narrative, see the movie to complete the picture, March 10, 2009

By	Book in hand at all times "PEDAGOG" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

I decided to read this book after seeing Slumdog Millionaire. I enjoyed the film so much I rushed out to get the book, but I have to say (and this has only been said once before about Forrest Gump book vs movie) that I enjoyed the movie more. The author has told a wonderful story about this young boy Ram and all the extensive trials and tribulations he has gone through in life. As is in the movie they jump back and forth between the past and present circumstances to determine if this boy did indeed know the answers to the questions on the gameshow. What the book has that the movie didn't was better background stories. I knew more about Ram, Ismail, and the people in their lives. There were several parts of the movie that, although not at the time, were better explained in the book. I did find at times it was difficult to pinpoint what time period in Ram's life that he was referring when he flashed back. It didn't follow an order and unless you have really good Indian knowledge you had to refer back several times. What the movie had that the book didn't was better descriptive elements, probably due to director's and screenwriters collaborative visions. I would have loved to read the screenplay too! All in all I would recommend reading the book then seeing the movie not the other way around. I found it was a little hard keeping it straight in the first few chapters not referrring back to the film. I would definitely recommend buying the book. Enjoy!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great read, February 8, 2009

By	mother of 3 (Arcadia, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I read this book 2 years ago, from the New BOOKS shelf of the Arcadia library. I generally love to read anything by authors of Indian heritage just because myself growing up in the former USSR which was a great friend of India at the time, I was in love with the soap operas of the Bollywood (30-25 years ago). So I am kinda familiar with the social differences of their society and understand where all this come from - casts,poverty,etc.
The book is absolutely the best in describing all of the differences in a matter of the few pages, at the same time following the plot and all.

Mr. Swarup - kudos to you and regret that I did not write this earlier!