2021: Blah.

I read this because it is the basis for one of the films nominated for this year's Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, and it's awards season! The film was a really faithful adaptation, but despite Priyanka Chopra Jonas's best feminist intentions, I still wouldn't recommend you watch it. However, I did enjoy the movie more than I enjoyed the book.

The book starts off with this useless gimmick where the main character, Balram, a regular old used-to-be-a-poor-servant-but-now-I-own-my-own-company, decides to email the prime minister of China to introduce him to the country of India upon his first official visit. In this email, Balram admits to murder, corruption, prostitution, and several other not-so-insignificant crimes. The use of the second person point of view is completely unnecessary and just didn't work for me at all.

The story does not pass the Bechdel test, and Pinky (one of the only three named female characters) is one of the biggest jerks I've ever met. Balram throws a hissy fit and screams and storms out of a hotel room when he discovers that the prostitute he's hired for the night is not a "real" blonde; her hair is dyed. Really? This is supposed to endear me to him? Just, yikes bro.

I have never been to India, so I am not sure how true this representation of Indians is, but I can't help but feel this book is popular in the West and not so popular back home. Overall, this will not end up in my top list of books read in 2021 for sure.