A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Upon opening A Fine Balance, this Balzac epigraph accuses the reader:

“…after you have read this story of great misfortunes, you will no doubt dine well”.

As we head off to share Thanksgiving meals with loved ones – I can’t help but think of those who are not safe, warm or well-fed at this holiday —  (yes, I’m just that much fun, be sure to invite me to you next dinner party).  Wisely, I keep these thoughts to myself and quietly plot my charity giving for the holidays.

Actually, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about the food, friends and loved ones.  But my point (and I do have one, I promise) is that when approaching the abundances of  the holidays, I always remember this book, which has stuck with me since I read it almost 10 years ago.

A Fine Balance is one of the finest novels I’ve ever read.  Overstatement?  Not at all.  Simply superb, the beauty and humor of this book is matched only by the awfulness and arbitrariness of life — a “fine balance”.   This is a novel that instantly absorbs the reader.  Preoccupied with the characters — Ishvar, Om, and Dina, — I cried for them, cheered them and still remember them to this day.

The novel takes place in India during the mid-1970s under Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s  “State of Emergency”.  (Obviously, this is before her assassination and after reading this book, perhaps we know why.)  The book tells the story of a group of Indian citizens- two tailors, a student and a widow, as they struggle through their lives, how their fates entwined, how their initial distrust for each other blossoms into family of friendship.

Through their encounters, Mr. Mistry shows us the political arena of the time– how bribery and graft prevailed throughout the economy, how political propaganda was staged and how commoners suffered under the “City Beautification Program”.

Mr. Mistry makes no allowances for the western reader and forces us to view India without the rose-colored tint of British teas and painted elephants.

You’ll shake your head at the social issues that plagued India and some which are still evident today, the hopelessness of a caste system, begging as a “profession”, the pavement dwellers, the huge gulf between the rich and poor, how population control programs cruelly spun out of control and how shantytown people lived under the mercy of local rulers. One particular trade that struck me was hair-collecting…you just have to read the book.

OK, I can see you saying this book is not for me, a depressing read if there ever was one.  But trust me fellow readers, A Fine Balance is not that. There is much pain and yet much joy in this novel.  It shows us there is inherent beauty in just being alive and how our bonds with those we love deliver riches beyond compare.  Read this book – you will be changed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, hug your loved ones and appreciate the bounty of our lives – we are the lucky ones.