This will hurt me...

Ezra stalks Little India. Singapore, May 2017. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga The White Tiger  is a novel presented in the form of a long series of letters from our protagonist – the entrepreneurial Balram Halwai – to the visiting Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao. In it, we learn the life story of Balram, a transformation from the humble son of a rickshaw puller in deepest, darkest, most backward region of India to a confident businessman in the prosperous south of Bangalore (via a blossoming in Dehli). This is a dark, funny book that does not shy away from modern, globalising India's cruel realities. It explores the issues at the heart of the Indian experience: the tensions inherent in religion, caste, loyalty, freedom, duty, individualism, greed, corruption and poverty in a country that creates numerous multi-millionaires while so many remain trapped in the most desperate of circumstances. Tackling issues of masculinity, class and sexuality without fear, there are no simple dichot...

  You work it out. Geilston Bay. December 2020. When You Kant FigureIt Out, Ask a Philosopher: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Dilemmas by Marie Robert I suspect that I am not the intended audience for this book. As I am not much of one for collecting ‘stuff’, worrying about others’ opinions of me or chasing the latest fad, some of the author’s examples to illustrate modern dilemmas (shopping at IKEA or heading out to a blind date) failed to connect with me. The fact that I both studied and taught philosophy and political theory at university, probably made the introduction and primer on the thoughts and approaches of some of the most influential philosophers in the Western canon a bit redundant for me. It may be useful to someone looking for advice on resolving individual problems or strengthening personal resilience or mindfulness, but I found it trite and lacking substance. I would caution against using this as a gateway into the fuller philosophical approaches of the vari...

Leave me alone. Geilston Bay, December 2020. The Hustler by Walter Tevis Another fantastic member of the noir canon. A reasonably straightforward tale of flash young pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson, and his quest for glory (and a pocket full of cash). It is a book about winning and losing, self-reflection and what it takes to know oneself. As with many books of the genre and era, the only female character of any note – Sarah, Eddie’s damaged and fragile love interest – is weakly realised. She exists purely to advance our understanding of Eddie, but to that end, she serves as a useful device to move the story along at a cracking pace. This is one that can be knocked over in a single sitting, and – gender politics aside – does not feel dated or antiquated in the tone or moral of the tale. I would recommend this most favourably if the testosterone does not hinder your enjoyment! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

  Suburban sights. Geilston Bay, December 2020. Normal People by Sally Rooney Enjoyed  is probably not the appropriate word for how I felt reading a tale of the lives of two extraordinarily damaged people. While I have no doubt that most “normal” people are flawed and impaired through the various mechanisms of society, culture and family, Connell and Marianne are significantly fucked up. The tale is one of how two fucked up, emotionally stunted teenagers negotiate their lives through to young adulthood. It is hard-going at times but doesn’t shirk from the messy realities of the damage wrought by the structures supposed to raise, nurture and support young people. The book consists in large part of chronological snippets of incidents, dialogue and internal monologues. I see that many have found Marianne an improbable and unlikeable character, but I found her tendency towards self-harming behaviour a reasonable response to the trauma of her childhood.  Connell struck me a...