A Fine Balance

By Rohinton Mistry

I suspect the term “unputdownable” was created for books like this. Mistry has fashioned such an affecting story that, despite its relentless bleakness, there was no urge to set the book aside.

The story is about four people whose lives, by necessity, come together in the mid-70’s amidst the Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi. This is a time of political and social unrest uncannily similar to our Martial Law regime of the same period.  There is the middle-class widow who, after her husband’s death, chooses to become independent of her brother and puts up a tailoring shop sewing for an export company. She hires two tailors who have come to the city in search of work. They belong to a lowly caste of tanners considered untouchable because they deal with dead animals. The fourth character is a 17-year old student sent to the city by his parents to earn a college degree and takes up board and lodging in the widow’s flat.

Mistry recounts the lives of each character from birth to present and uses the politically turbulent times of the Emergency as a backdrop for each story. As the story progresses, you become aware of a recurring pattern of idyllic life followed by violence and tragedy. What prevents the story from becoming a simply depressing account of despair is that the characters learn to cope with the precarious nature of their lives. Despite their social positions, the four characters find refuge in a friendship borne out of shared misfortunes. It would seem that Mistry paints a bleak picture wherein impoverished people had no control over their lives but, with our band of four, despite their varying shades of poverty, there is humanity, kindness and compassion for each other. Their ability to adapt to the given situation, no matter how bleak, allows them to maintain a semblance of control in their lives and that is the triumph of their characters.  “You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair.”

Mistry is an amazing writer. He writes with such precision that his descriptions of people, places and events remain with you long after you’ve read the last page. His characterizations are so vivid that you never lose concern with what will happen to the hapless quartet.  It is also a political commentary on the abuses of power during Gandhi’s rule although her name is never actually mentioned. It isn’t necessary to be familiar with India’s culture and political history to appreciate this book. The truth is, I came out wanting to know more about India after reading this book. I also think this book is particularly interesting to Filipinos. There is much about this story that is startlingly similar to our own history during the Martial Law era. A Fine Balance is a compelling literary work. I look forward to reading Mistry’s other books.