A Fine Balance

Reminiscent of masters from Balzac to Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism of India. It is 1975, in an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency in whose upheavals four strangers - a spirited widow, a young student, and two tailors - will be thrust into one cramped apartment and an uncertain future. As they move from distrust to friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state. -jacket