... Mrs. Gandhi and the Congress Party, which had ruled India almost continuously since independence. Even Mrs. Gandhi's ordering of the attack on the Sikhs' Golden Temple plays a prominent role. Although such forays into open condemnation are potent, the novel is at its best when the fictionalized facts of the characters ... lives speak for themselves. Broad in its range, powerful in its execution, numbing in its reality, A Fine Balance asks what Hilary Mantel calls an "age-old" question: "In the face of the world's beauty, in the face of the self-evident fact of altruism, how can atrocious...

• Word Count: 4673
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Mrs. Gandhi and the Congress Party, which had ruled India almost continuously since independence. Even Mrs. Gandhi's ordering of the attack on the Sikhs' Golden Temple plays a prominent role. Although such forays into open condemnation are potent, the novel is at its best when the fictionalized facts of the characters ... lives speak for themselves. Broad in its range, powerful in its execution, numbing in its reality, A Fine Balance asks what Hilary Mantel calls an "age-old" question: "In the face of the world's beauty, in the face of the self-evident fact of altruism, how can atrocious...

• Word Count: 4675
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: Undergraduate