A tragic story about a tragic country

A friend recommended this to me a while ago after I told her that I enjoyed this other book because of its kalaidescopic view of a society. This book seems more focussed on the story of individuals whose lives intersect, how these different individuals' outlooks are formed, how they interact with each other and what that says about them rather than on physical descriptions of the country, which is what the other book's strength was. Well one of them. I just returned from India and I have to say that this book definitely reflects the cruelty, harshness and desperation that can be found in country. But the ethic of this book, encapsulated in the phrase "A Fine Balance" is awfully uplifting as well. You have to read the book to find out what I mean.

The bottom line: If you want to read the book to find out about the country, this is worthwhile. If you're reading for brilliance in use of language, there are plenty of other books that are better.Warning: This book is profoundly depressing.