The fine balance being referred to in the title is between hope and despair. Unfortunately it left me with more despair than hope. Nevertheless, the small glimmer of hope that does appear is most precious in contrast to its surrounding despair.

Most of what I previously knew of life in India is what I learned from the movie "Slum Dog Millionaire." So perhaps I needed to be exposed to a more complete rendering of Indian life. But at least the movie ended with a burst of joy and happiness -- though a bit unrealistically. This book in contrast is a long drawn out taste of bitter medicine with not much reward at the end.

The book focuses on four intersecting lives during Indira Ghandi's Emergency measurers that date from 1975 to 1977. However, there are extensive narrative flashbacks to earlier times -- circa the 1947 partition and leading up to the 70's. The cruel effects of the emergency measures including mass sterilization, work camps and slum demolitions are described in the story. This novel was a real eye-opener to the gross injustices against the poor and helpless during this time. If you have any interest in India or the caste system this is a must read. But be forewarned: it can be very depressing. Yet, as depressing as it is, it's uplifting how these characters not only endure their hardships, but endure with generosity and compassion.

This novel is a testament to how the human spirit can prevail through hopelessness and despair. The following is an excerpt from the book that caught my eye:

What an unreliable thing is time--when I want it to fly, the hours stick to me like glue. And what a changeable thing, too. Time is the twine to tie our lives into parcels of years and months. Or a rubber band stretched to suit our fancy. Time can be the pretty ribbon in a little girl's hair. Or the lines in your face, stealing your youthful colour and your hair." .... "But in the end, time is a noose around the neck, strangling slowly."

After finishing the book it has occurred to me that the title, "A Fine Balance," can have a slightly different meaning. The story shows that freedom from poverty doesn't bring happiness, nor does abject poverty. The secret is in achieving a fine balance between the two. It's not between hope and despair, but rather a stoic acceptance versus hopeless despair.

The book deserves five stars, but I can't give five stars to a book that makes me feel such sadness and despair. Nevertheless, I acknowledge the book is well written and the plot carefully crafted. I really have to admire the author for putting together a heck of a story. ( )

I tried reading this book, which is certainly well written, but found it too bleak. It covers, in novelistic form, the era between the independence of India from the British Raj and the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Most people who read the book for my book club liked it very much - I just couldn't sustain the portrayal of Indian society in those times.

This book turned me inside out and had me choking back tears on my morning commute. The characters touched me, infuriated me, and brought the story to life for me. This is one of those few books out there that was cathartic and profoundly moving.

The story is long, and if you're not familiar with India and Indian literature, probably not overly easy to first settle into but it is well worth the work. The tragedies and turmoils are bittersweet and the story leaves you with hope even in times of darkness.

By far Mistry's chef d'oeuvre thus far. ( )

2007 ( )

A FINE BALANCE by Rohinton Mistry is a sprawling novel set in India in 1975. The lives of four main characters are played out against the turbulence of the Indira Ghandi regime.

I'm not interested in novels that are really pushing a political or social point of view disguised as a story. Mistry doesn’t fall into this trap. He tells a story of poor people and makes us feel compassion for a widow, a university student, and two tailors who end up thrown together in a small apartment with little in the way of utilities or amenities in an unidentified city.

Each character is given plenty of space in this 603 page novel to have his/her story told. Somewhere midway through the novel their lives come together. There are many nice, moving moments, but ultimately this story is even more depressing than Carson McCuller’s THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER. Despite that, I enjoyed most of it and felt a compulsion to keep reading it as often as I could until I finished.

This is not a novel to read if you are at a down point in your life. Definitely don’t read it if you’re feeling suicidal and have a loaded handgun in the nightstand by your bed.

Mistry gives a good look at a way of life many of us have never experienced, a way of life no one should have to experience. This is an important novel. Read it when you can deal with a really depressing story. ( )