Never judge a book by its awards (The Inheritance of Loss)

I just finished reading "The Inheritance of Loss", by Kiran Desai.

Some books entertain; some books make you think; some books rip your heart out and leave you sobbing; some books have plots with so many twists and turns that you feel like you are travelling on a dozen S-curves a minute at a 100 miles an hour.

This book is not any one of those. Not even close.

Some books meander, take you on a nondescript journey, and leave you wondering what the point is of this whole exercise. This book is certainly one of those.

If the author's goal was to write a book that creates interest in characters, and describe situations, places, and things, she has succeeded admirably. I was struck by the vivid descriptions that so fill the book from cover to cover. The book illustrates India beautifully: the ever present drive in its residents to leave for greener pastures and the incredible guilt that ensues, the yearning for and attachment to foreign-made things, the utter corruption and indifference that permeates the administration, the utter lack of doing the right thing amongst most people, the diversity, the contradiction and the collage that is India. In the end, you are left with neither a positive nor a negative impression, and that I think is what makes it accurate.

However, if there was even a smidgen of an intent to entertain, the book falls flat on its face. It is bereft of a plot. There are very few places that tug at the heart, but an incredible number of places where one has to drink a double shot of Espresso just to continue on. I found myself with an overwhelming need to abandon reading this book; but as a wise man once said, "If you are going through hell, keep going". So, I kept going.

This book won the Man Booker Prize for 2006. I think the selection committee was hooked on crack at decision time. Or was it something a bit more powerful ? They weren't when they picked the Life of Pi in 2002. Must be a recent affliction then ?

My recommendation: Avoid it - If you must read it, keep a capsule of cyanide nearby; you never know when you want an quick end to your misery.