Between the Assassinations

Aravind Adiga's second book Between the Assassinations is another insightful and atmospheric work, following Booker-winning The White Tiger. Set in the fictional Kittur- on the west coast of India- the book, a collection of short stories, takes you on a travel guide's tour of the town complete with history, visual references and tips on what to do and see.

The narrator suggests a week would be ideal to see all the sights of Kittur and leads you through a series of snapshots of the town’s main landmarks. Colourful and gritty, each place offers up a tale, each tale is loosely woven together to create an overall picture of the town, not just the sights but the people, the history, the politics, very much like that of any town you might find in India- but look carefully as there is more than meets the eye. Textured and interwoven, the narrative bristles with layers of memorable characters and stories ranging from the dark to the comedic.

Set between 1984 when Indira Ghandi was assassinated and 1991 when Rajiv Ghandi was assassinated, the book provides a social history through a range of vignettes, the subjects of which are intriguingly polemic- rich and poor, Hindu and Catholic, communist and populist, educated and illiterate, young and old, bankers and bus conductors.

Told with humour, the stories are compelling, touching and sometimes painful. This is a wonderful read, easy to pick up and difficult to put down.