Two tailors, a landlord, and a student struggle to survive in India during the political and social upheavals of the mid 1970s. The cultural extremes of Indian society form a rich and varied backdrop for this novel. It's also very Dickensian, in that the characters lead lives of misery and disappointment, yet there are memorable characters and plenty of comic relief and dark humor.
But be warned - unlike Dickens, there are no happy endings here. And the events are horrific in nature - lynchings, murders, accidental deaths, oppresive poverty, caste ugliness, and so on. In fact, there are very few moments when the characters can be said to be truly happy. The two tailors go from miserable incident to miserable incident, yet rebound every time with humor and hope. Only one character is unable to cope with the miserable world that he witnesses.
The writing is superb, the setting highly detailed, the characters excellently drawn. But the fatalistic tone of the book is excessively depressing for me -- perhaps that is the difference in the cultures of author and reader. I found it very difficult to read, although I was never disappointed by the book, like I have been by other dark novels. Just depressed when I finished it. Only recommended for those with the strength of character to read it and survive.
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