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Title: Very good, but not A Fine Balance
Review: A very enjoyable book, full of irony, humor, and social commentary. It offers a picture of middle class life in contemporary India, commentary on the state of religious and ethnic relations there, and the stories of several interesting and well drawn characters. Although it deals with mundane people in rather ordinary circumstances, there were several parts of the book that made my heart race. It's a testament to the author's skill that he can make ordinary moments extraordinary (and it's striking that none of the most overtly dramatic moments are told in the present tense or fleshed out very much). Nonetheless, in my view, the book falls short of Mistry's spectacular A Fine Balance. It just doesn't have that book's scope or impact.
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