This National Book Award winner and "best book of the year or maybe the decade" (Slate.com) nearly lives up to its hype. The narrative non-fiction charts the lives of several people living in a Mumbai slum tucked between the airport and the Hyatt, shielded from travelers' view by a wall covered with advertisements for Italian tiles that promise to be 'beautiful forever.' It's a sad story for the most part, about people barely surviving, but it captures the day-to-day struggles effectively.
Boo focuses on the details of the people, their story, and the place they live, leaving the larger lessons implicit. Her writing is quite beautiful sometimes, but always in a way that serves her narrative. She packs a lot into a comparatively short book (250 pages); in fact, my only complaint is that I wish she had provided a bit more sociological detail in a few places or filled out a couple of the minor characters.
Very vivid and moving, with a strong sense of place.
Boo focuses on the details of the people, their story, and the place they live, leaving the larger lessons implicit. Her writing is quite beautiful sometimes, but always in a way that serves her narrative. She packs a lot into a comparatively short book (250 pages); in fact, my only complaint is that I wish she had provided a bit more sociological detail in a few places or filled out a couple of the minor characters.
Very vivid and moving, with a strong sense of place.
No comments:
Post a Comment