On this edition of ST, a great discussion that first aired on our show in March. At that time we spoke with Aravind Adiga, who joined us to discuss his then-new novel, "Selection Day." As was noted by The New York Times of this fine coming-of-age saga that focuses on two brothers in a Mumbai slum who are raised to become cricket stars: "Mr. Adiga's third novel supplies further proof that his Booker Prize...was no fluke. He is not merely a confident storyteller but also a thinker, a skeptic, a wily entertainer, a thorn in the side of orthodoxy and cant.... [This book is] powerful and soulful." And further, from The Washington Post: "Adiga's wit and raw sympathy will carry uninitiated readers beyond their ignorance of cricket.... Adiga's paragraphs bounce along like a ball hit hard down a dirt street. One gets the general direction, but the vectors of his story can change at any moment as we chase after these characters.... 'Selection Day' evolves into a bittersweet reflection on the limits of what we can select. Choice -- that most enticing Western ideal -- does not thrive everywhere equally.... Adiga's voice is so exuberant, his plotting so jaunty, that the sadness of this story feels as though it is accumulating just outside our peripheral vision." Please note that you can hear a free, on-demand audio-stream of our chat with Mr. Adiga at this link.
"Selection Day: A Novel" (Encore Presentation)
