A Fine Balance
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 1997 paperback edition cover |
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| Author | Rohinton Mistry |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | McClelland and Stewart |
| Released | 1995 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-679-44608-7 |
A Fine Balance is the third book by Rohinton Mistry. Set in Mumbai, India between 1975 and 1977 during the turmoil of The Emergency, a period of expanded government power and crackdowns on civil liberties, this book is about four characters from varied backgrounds—Dina Dalal, Ishvar Darji, his nephew Omprakash and the young lad Maneck—who come together, develop a bond and depart from each other's lives as dramatically as they came.
First published by McClelland and Stewart in 1995, it won the Giller Prize. In 2001 it was selected for Oprah's Book Club. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996.
A Fine Balance was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, championed by actor Megan Follows.
[edit] Plot summary
The book exposes the changes in Indian society from independence in 1947 to the Emergency called by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Mistry is generally critical of Gandhi in the book. Interestingly, however, Gandhi is never referred to by name by any of the characters, and is instead called simply "the prime minister". The characters, from diverse backgrounds, are all brought together by economic forces changing India.
Ishvar and Om's family are part of the Chamaar caste, who traditionally cured leather and were considered untouchable. In an attempt to break away from the restrictive caste system, Ishvar's father apprentices his sons to a tailor, and they became tailors. As a result of their skills, passed on to Ishvar's brother's son, they move to Mumbai to get work, by then unavailable in the town near their village because a pre-made clothing shop has opened.
Maneck, from a small hill village in northern India, moves to the city to acquire a college diploma "as a back up" in case his father's business is no longer able to compete after the building of a highway near their village.
Dina, from a traditionally wealthy family, maintains tenuous independence from her brother by living in the flat of her deceased husband.
[edit] Characters in "A Fine Balance"
- Dina Shroff (later, Dina Dalal when married to Rustom Dalal)
- Ishvar Darji
- Omprakash Darji (Ishvar's nephew)
- Maneck Kohlah
- Nusswan Shroff (Dina's brother)
- Zenobia (Dina's friend)
- Vasantrao Valmik (the proofreader and lawyer)
- Ibrahim (the rent collector)
- Dukhi Mochi (father of Ishvar and Narayan)
- Thakur Dharamsi
- Ashraf Chacha (Dukhi's friend. A tailor)
- Nawaz (Ashraf's friend)
- Rajaram (initially, a hair collector and later, Bal Baba)
- Monkey-man (a resident of the slum) who kills Beggermaster and takes revenge
- Aban Kohlah (Maneck's mother)
- Farokh Kohlah (Maneck's father)
- Avinash (Maneck's senior, President of the Student Union and Chairman of the Hostel Committee)
- Sergeant Kesar
- Shankar (the crippled beggar) also known as Worm or person who rolls on ground
- Beggarmaster ( Step or Half Brother of Shankar ) and who controls all the beggars
- Shanti (a girl in the slum)
- Jeevan (Tailor who was with Om and Iswar in their first assignment)
[edit] Major themes
The novel is notable for its ending, which is far from happy. Over the course of the novel, each character is subjected to intense physical, mental, and emotional pain at the hands of sinister strangers. This culminates in the ending, where Ishvar's legs are forced to be amputated, Omprakash is castrated and his legs and body swell up greatly from the hormone changes caused by the operation, and Maneck, overcome by how his two friends ended up, steps in front of a speeding train in the middle of a crowded train station.
It is interesting to note that the characters that are able to maintain a 'fine balance' in life are the ones that survive the ending. Mistry steers the novel around the types of balances that the characters maintain in their life and outcomes that they meet at the end.
