Q & A
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Written by Vikas Swarup.
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Editorial Review (from Amazon.com)
Vikas Swarup's spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India's biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest. But through a series of exhilarating tales Ram explains to his lawyer how episodes in his life gave him the answer to each question.Ram takes us on an amazing review of his own history -- from the day he was found as a baby in the clothes donation box of a Delhi church to his employment by a faded Bollywood star to his adventure with a security-crazed Australian army colonel to his career as an overly creative tour guide at the Taj Mahal.
Swarup's Q & A is a beguiling blend of high comedy, drama, and romance that reveals how we know what we know -- not just about trivia, but about life itself. Cutting across humanity in all its squalor and glory, Vikas Swarup presents a kaleidoscopic vision of the struggle between good and evil -- and what happens when one boy has no other choice in life but to survive.
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Ten Taxis thinks this book is Worth Reading.
Ram Mohammed Thomas is a waiter, and the winner of a billion rupees on a quiz show. He is also accused of cheating. Vikas Swarup unfolds the story of Ram's life in segments that show how his varied life experiences gave him the answers to the questions on the show. The chronology of Ram's life is rearranged to fit the ordering of the questions and is strung together in a way that doesn't confuse the reader and that avoids seeming contrived. Ram's remarkable good luck is also such an extension of his personality and his attitude to life that it no longer seems surprising when things work out well.
Swarup has succeeded in painting a picture of life in India as successfully as Rohintin Mistry in "A Fine Balance". The reader meets prostitutes, princesses, priests, proprietors, policemen, doctors, lawyers, beggar masters, criminals, Bollywood film stars and quiz show hosts. The book is gritty and gloomy, but avoids being depressing through effective use of humour and Ram's indefatigable attitude towards life. It is a light and relaxing read and is recommended for anyone with any interest in life in India or, even if that doesn't grab you, a heartwarming story of a big-hearted street boy who has a way of making life go his way.