Removed from the Little Free Library on Maple Street in Arroyo Grande, CA.

Wow. What an epic novel.

The story is about four people who become friends during the years of The Emergency in India (1975-77). That emergency and the years after were the product of Prime Minister Indira Ghandi, who in this book is simply referred to as the Prime Minister, never by name.

The characters experience many of the abuses that took place during that near-two-year period. At times I wondered if Mistry created the characters so that they could experience or observe the atrocities, as well as show us the differences in how The Emergency affected the different cultural groups. The caste system was still alive and well, in spite of efforts to stamp it out. Too many generations living in this system made it difficult for individuals to break out.

Maneck is Parsi, a small but influential minority in India. He leaves his home in the mountains, where his father runs a general store, to seek further education. Disturbed by the condition of the dormitory and the behavior of fellow lodgers, he seeks lodging elsewhere, and ends up in the small apartment of Dina Dalal, a friend of his family. Dina is from a prominent family, but has fallen on hard times following the death of her husband. She is determined to make her way and tries to avoid going to her brother for help.

Also arriving at Dina's house at the same time are the two tailors: Ishvar and Om. They are the surviving members of their family of "untouchables", having broken away from the work of the clan, tanning, and taken up tailoring. They go to work for Dina, making clothing from patterns and material provided by a clothing company. Rather than employ people in a single location, the manufacturer contracts with many people who in turn hire tailors.

It is an uneasy alliance that gradually softens. Dina has difficulty overcoming the prejudices of her past, the assumptions that some people are simply better than others. Maneck provides the glue that somehow connects the unlikely group. If only they all could have stayed safe from outside influences. But they are constantly affected by the decrees of The Emergency and the corruption rampant within the police force.

This is no feel-good novel, yet it is a story, in a way, of hope. The "fine balance" is between hope and despair. You might be able to guess who can keep finding hope and who cannot.

On a table outside.