Rating: 
Summary: speaking as mr. akhil sharma's cousin...
Review: he has yet to send me a free copy of his novel, and i'll tell you I sure as hell ain't going to pay for it. hmmph. anyway, even though i haven't read the book, it would appear that he is not making any hindus happy.... Cheerio!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Recommendation from David Sedaris
Review: I also read the book because David Sedaris has been so passionate about it, mentioning it in interviews and during his readings.Unlike the lady from California, I found the book hilarious. It opens with Ram Karan, the narrator talking about how he has to extort money from someone he's afraid of. The conceit of a criminal afraid of his victim is already ironic. And then in the next paragraph Ram Karan goes to a party where the host is wearing the white robe of a karate teacher and displaying his physical prowess by beating at a steel pole. Ram Karan watches all this and wonders whether the man behaving like this is displaying some Western affectation. I found the party scene so funny that I read it out loud to my wife who began laughing out loud. It would be hard to be more obviously funny than this opening and I think the humor plays right through the book.
Rating:
Summary: A pathetic book with weak charecters
Review: I bought this book with great expectations but it is a big failure. Mr Sharma should not foray into writing and should do better research before writting a book. This is a disgusting book, not worth reading
Rating:
Summary: A Near Miracle
Review: I don't know know where this book came from or how a first-time novelist managed to produce it, other than to say that it came from the same source of all great art. The book is infused with feeling, fully-realized characters, stinging insights and observations, a compelling if repulsive protagonist, and the textures, smells, and temperatures of the characters and their city. Told in first person, it feels at times like one has stumbled on to a diary written by a figure who is an unpdated Raskolnikov. David Sedaris said on NPR that one of the reasons he feels life is worth living is the hope that Sharma will write a second novel. I was very curious to see what kind of book could live up to that praise. The answer is, this kind of book, a great novel, that deals with ugly, unpleasant specifics and tacitly forces the reader to confront his or her own failings, sins, crimes large and small, immoralities, and humanity. As for the negative reviews on this site, readers shouldn't blame the mirror for providing an accurate reflection.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book... a shame fellow Indians are offended.
Review: I have to say, this book left me feeling empty. Which is pretty powerful, because it was strong feeling. I cannot help but feel that my fellow Indians are so negatively inclined towards the book because it casts India in a negative light. This is real, and it does happen in India. So for all you Indians who feel so negatively about the book and have a burning desire to critisize those who have been educated in the west, it is simple. Stay with what you are comfortable with. This book, clearly, is not comfortable.
Rating:
Summary: weak, disgusting, boring...look elsewhere!
Review: I was "assigned" this book from my book club (since I wasn't at the meeting, I had no choice). The book is very hard to get into, and then once you kinda do, it becomes sick. The main character is a sexually abusive father (and grandfather) and is twisted. He fantasizes over his daughter, granddaughter, and other men (especially political men). The descriptions of his fantasys as well as what he actually does are god-awful. I couldn't stand all the descriptive passages (and I mean descriptive), as well as the boring political mumbo-jumbo. There are several passages on the political atmosphere in India. Unless you have read history on it, are from India and know about all the political struggles, or just know about it...you will be pretty lost. In addition, if you aren't from India, you might feel left out. You are expected to know the lingo, as well as the political history, as it not given. The author is a 30+ writer from India...I am not sure where his perspective is. For example, you will need to know that you put a "ji" after names or what "Namaste" or an "autorickshaw" means...good luck. ALSO...the writing is in the first person...but the person changes! For example, the first chapter is the father talking in first person and then the second chapter is the daughter. Then it goes BACK to the father for all the rest of the chapters but the last two. This was WAY confusing...and a bad writing style. I would read something else before tackling this one. And, if you do have to read this, borrow it from the library...don't waste your money on this garbage.
Rating:
Summary: No heroes.
Review: I'm not going to argue that this book is pleasant to read, because it isn't. But I'd argue that it's worth reading, maybe even should be read, despite its unpleasant subject matter. And I suppose that it is worth warning that it is unpleasant. It has fairly explicit descriptions of violence, incest, and poverty. There are probably people who shouldn't read it if they're particularly reactive to those issues. I wouldn't have imagined that I could see a book like this, which deals with these kinds of issues and still manages to achieve moral ambiguity. Somehow Sharma takes some of the most loaded topics imaginable and still places it in a landscape which is-- if not without blame-- at least without innocence. While Mr. Karan (the father)commits acts that seem to put him beyond the pale, it's hard not to feel yourself sliding into sympathy for him. And while you want to like Anita because of what happens to her, it's awfully hard to do. Meanwhile, the landscape of Indian politics around them (which is a bit hard on the reader, since it assumes that you know something about it) also seems to imply a decided lack of ethical clarity. I think that it's a very strong book, extremely well written, and thought-provoking if not uplifting.
Rating:
Summary: Great Recommendation from David Sedaris
Review: I?m not going to argue that this book is pleasant to read, because it isn?t. But I?d argue that it?s worth reading, maybe even should be read, despite its unpleasant subject matter. And I suppose that it is worth warning that it is unpleasant. It has fairly explicit descriptions of violence, incest, and poverty. There are probably people who shouldn?t read it if they?re particularly reactive to those issues. I wouldn?t have imagined that I could see a book like this, which deals with these kinds of issues and still manages to achieve moral ambiguity. Somehow Sharma takes some of the most loaded topics imaginable and still places it in a landscape which is-- if not without blame-- at least without innocence. While Mr. Karan (the father)commits acts that seem to put him beyond the pale, it?s hard not to feel yourself sliding into sympathy for him. And while you want to like Anita because of what happens to her, it?s awfully hard to do. Meanwhile, the landscape of Indian politics around them (which is a bit hard on the reader, since it assumes that you know something about it) also seems to imply a decided lack of ethical clarity. I think that it?s a very strong book, extremely well written, and thought-provoking if not uplifting.
Rating:
Summary: Schadenfreude - look that up
Review: If you need to read 282 pages to figure out that rape and incest occur in all societies, you probably don't get out much, and when you do, you probably stop to look at freeway carnage whenever possible, and you might just love this book. Because of reputable recommendations, PEN/Hemingway award, NYT book review raves, and general sheep mentality awards, I kept thinking there might be something redeemable about reading this book, but it must be on page 283. No, in my opinion, a truly talented writer does not use his skills to display some of the basest of human nature and disguise that content as somehow appropriate without also presenting a critical analysis or solution. Don't look for that here. Never have I wasted so much time on so much wasted paper.
Rating:
Summary: Crass and Valgur
Review: It seems as Mr. Sharma has only been to India on two occassions he may not have the time or the inclination to research the novel. Apparently the novel is based on his family and Ram Karan is either his grand father or his father. People like Mr. Sharma should be stopped from littering the world with their filthy writing by which they tend to degrade and demean their own country/motherland.
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