Anyway, I do hope everyone is enjoying Room as much as I have. I first thought it was going to be far too uncomfortable for me to read but thankfully there is some light relief towards the middle. There was only Katharine and myself who turned up to our last meeting and Katharine has suggested A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry which looks a gripping read - take a look at this review on Amazon:
"This is a truly great book. It chronicles the story of 4 individuals from very different sectors of the Indian Caste system. Not only does it accurately portray the political and social situation in India in the 1970s,it reflects the predudices within the upper castes and the fatalistic attitude of the lower castes, formed from their religious beliefs that suffering is their destiny and the reward will be in the afterlife. This story is overwhelmingly sad and also shocking as the reader can identify the ethical question of human suffering for a possibly laudable goal (in this case it is population control). However, the novel is also uplifting in a peculiar way; that individuals who struggle so hard to exist in appalling conditions can find joy in their lives is humbling. It also allows the reader to identify with the predudices and to see a situation from another side. Maybe at the end of the book, the reader feels that they have grown a little in spirit and have the capacity to be a 'better' person as a result. For me, the mark of a great book is one that remains with you long after the back page is read. This is such a book."
Enjoy!
