A Fine BalanceA Fine Balance
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1975, during the State of Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, four strangers come to share a cramped apartment in a seaside Indian city. Dina is a widow trying to stay independent by running a small sewing business. Ishvar and his nephew Om are tailors who fled caste violence in their village. Maneck is a student from the mountains. As they become a kind of family, the government's brutality threatens everything they've built.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Booker finalist and a pick on the BBC's Big Read, and it became an Oprah's Book Club pick. It's a huge, heartbreaking and sometimes funny portrait of India.
You'll love it if you liked
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Midnight's Children
The Covenant of WaterGood to know
It's long and relentlessly sad, with caste violence and forced sterilization. Some readers find it devastating.
By the numbers
- Readers95 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller43 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #35 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #43 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #193 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #383 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Rohinton Mistry
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Quick answers
Is A Fine Balance worth reading?
Yes. It was a Booker finalist and a pick on the BBC's Big Read, and it became an Oprah's Book Club pick. It ranks #383 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 80.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Fine Balance about?
In 1975, during the State of Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, four strangers come to share a cramped apartment in a seaside Indian city. Dina is a widow trying to stay independent by running a small sewing business. Ishvar and his nephew Om are tailors who fled caste violence in their village. Maneck is a student from the mountains. As they become a kind of family, the government's brutality threatens everything they've built.
How long does it take to read A Fine Balance?
About 20 hours (818 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Fine Balance?
If you liked it, try A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie or The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.