A Fine Balance

Mistry, Rohinton

ISBN 10: 0571176674 / ISBN 13: 9780571176670

Published by Faber & Faber, Limited, 1996

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 39843432-20

Synopsis:

A novel set in India during the Emergency, by the author of "Such a Long Journey". In the tiny flat of the widowed Dina Dalal, two tailors and a young student struggle to put together a new life of sorts amid the crisis, and in the course of doing so encounter a vivid cast of characters.

Review: In 1975, in an unidentified Indian city, Mrs Dina Dalal, a financially pressed Parsi widow in her early 40s sets up a sweatshop of sorts in her ramshackle apartment. Determined to remain financially independent and to avoid a second marriage, she takes in a boarder and two Hindu tailors to sew dresses for an export company. As the four share their stories, then meals, then living space, human kinship prevails and the four become a kind of family, despite the lines of caste, class and religion. When tragedy strikes, their cherished, newfound stability is threatened, and each character must face a difficult choice in trying to salvage their relationships.

Bibliographic Details

Title: A Fine Balance
Publisher: Faber & Faber, Limited
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good