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2021 Miles Franklin Short List
4.5 stars

A really interesting book, set in Sydney, and I think Adiga has us pegged.

I found there were some similarities to the author's Booker winner, The White Tiger. This novel also features a man who's an under-dog, faced with a moral question, and we follow him right through the novel to find out what his decision will be.

The novel takes place in a time-stamped single day, with added flashbacks.

There is a bit of repetition in the text which adds a little something more to the confused feeling of the protagonist, but also felt a bit like padding and frustrated me a little.

But Adiga is an observant writer and I felt like he knew Sydney and the people of Sydney really well.
He also has many of the social issues of Australia really down pat. Particularly, the people who outstay their visas, the multi-cultural nature of Sydney, seedy Kings Cross and a number of other inner suburbs, not to mention the nature of the gambling addict and the infernal pokies.

It's going to be a strong contender for the 2021 Miles Franklin win.