I liked it! The idea that disturbed me was that the author, a man educated at Oxford and Columbia, speaks in the voice of a driver born in the "darkness" (or Bihar as it is quite apparent from the description of the "great socialist") For that reason, it seems he dumbs down the ethical conflict, the class critique that comes from Balram. Should one believe that it is so because Balram doesn't have a strong hold over English or because he has been brutalized by his impoveri... (show more)

I liked it! The idea that disturbed me was that the author, a man educated at Oxford and Columbia, speaks in the voice of a driver born in the "darkness" (or Bihar as it is quite apparent from the description of the "great socialist") For that reason, it seems he dumbs down the ethical conflict, the class critique that comes from Balram. Should one believe that it is so because Balram doesn't have a strong hold over English or because he has been brutalized by his impoverished existence? The politics of it notwithstanding, the book tells the story that is increasingly being swept under the rug by the ideology of "India Shining" that focuses and valorizes the upper and middle classes of India and just for that it is an important book. (show less)