A fine balance - Outside of a Dog

English language

Published Oct. 19, 2006 by Faber.

ISBN:: 9780571230587

(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 delight; and, above all, compulsively readable.

26 editions

Amber Dickson 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".)