I read this for this Post-Colonial English Lit class that I am taking and to be honest, I don't know where this book is when it comes to the topic. Anyway, I'll be writing my essay on this book; I haven't yet decided what particular topic it is that I want to focus on specifically but there were a lot of things that were glaringly wrong with this book. And some others that were right. First, the hindi interspersed with the English confused me. I'm familiar with the language and I insist, that the way it is translated is not in fact the way it is used but whatever. No one listens to me. Also, Bakha was highly romanticized. That turned me off straight away. You are talking about an untouchable, give us the gritty details. Do not paint him to be the diamond in the dust. Which is exactly what Anand did. He didn't represent the entire populace of the Untouchables - just this one boy who seemed to be "superior" to others. This is still perpetuating the idea of hierarchy within humanity - just not of the caste kind and it is still wrong. Then the abrupt shift from the village/simplistic tone and language to something out of Bloomsbury. The language shift is jarring and discordant and I understand its intention but its execution is poor and does not make for a smooth reading. I didn't understand the focus of this book and I give it three stars because it made me realize (however much it tried to obfuscate the details with artistry) the dirty details of an Untouchable's life.
