Q&A: A Book Review

I have always thought of giving reading Q&A - a.k.a. Slumdog Millionaire - by Vikas Swarup a go, since the day I saw it on the big screen back in 2009. I loved the film’s story, and I had no doubt that I’d love the book as well. However, for some unknown reason and despite its availability in the country, I never got hold of the book until last Sunday, when I finally decided to grab a copy of it. 

Eighteen-year-old Ram Mohammad Thomas is arrested for winning the biggest prize offered on a quiz show: one billion rupees. His surprising win generated suspicions of cheating, for the producers and host of the show could not believe how could he answer all twelve questions correctly, when he is nothing but a mere waiter at Jimmy's Bar, who has never had formal schooling?

In his own words, Ram Mohammad Thomas narrates his whole life story with full honesty to a lawyer who came in his defence. He tells her about the cruelties he faced in his childhood up to his adolescence, which included being abandoned by his own mother when he was just a baby, working for a vain actress and an Australian colonel, and posing as a Taj Mahal tour guide to foreigners, who knew very little about the landmark. All of which are important clues to answering the questions in the quiz show Who Will Win A Billion.

With Q&A, Vikas Swarup uncovers the many aspects of social injustice and the divide between the rich and  the poor in a farcical and clever manner. Q&A is an unforgettable read filled with twists and unexpected turns.

I have no regrets on buying Q&A three years after seeing Slumdog Millionaire, as it only heightened my dreams of visiting India, which I’ve been having only lately. Five stars out of five!

♥Andz