Book previews

Indian writer Aravind Adiga’s first novel, The

White Tiger, won the Man Booker Prize for fiction in 2008. English newspaper columnist A.N. Wilson described Adiga as ‘the most exciting novelist writing in English today’.

Adiga’s latest novel is Selection Day. The main character, Manju, is just 14. He is good at cricket, though not as good as his elder brother Radha. He hates his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented brother and is fascinated by the television show CSI and curious scientific facts.

And while there are many things Manju knows about himself and the world, he also knows there is much he is still to discover. Yet, confusingly to Manju, everyone around him seems to have a clear idea of who he should be.

But how can they know if Manju doesn’t yet know who he is?

When Manju meets Radha’s great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju’a world begins to change. He is faced by decisions that will challenge his sense of self and the world around him.