A Fine Balance

by

Paperback, 614 pages

English language

Published Nov. 18, 1997 by Faber and Faber, Faber & Faber.

ISBN:
9780571179367
OCLC Number:
949371371

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (1 review)

Set in mid-1970s India, A Fine Balance is a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have foreseen soon after the government declares a 'State of Internal Emergency'. It is a breathtaking achievement: panoramic yet humane, intensely political yet rich with local detail; and, above all, compulsively readable. --back cover

26 editions

reviewed A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Review of 'A Fine Balance' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I first read this book 17 years ago, just before my first trip to India, hoping to get some insight into the the country. Nothing would really prepare me for that place, but it was a powerful book to read, and will remain one of my favourites.

I re-read it on my third visit. My memory is pretty bad, so I didn't remember much of the plot before I started to re-read it, but it came back to me slowly with each memorable line. The writing is fantastic. However I had completely forgotten how funny but also horrendously depressing it was. (And with that ending, I really have no idea why it's still a "favourite".)

Subjects

  • Modern fiction
  • Fiction