A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

 A Fine Balance is set in Mumbai, India 1975-1984 during the period of The Emergency. The book follows the lives of four characters: Dina Dalal, Ishvar Darji, his nephew Omprakash Darji and Maneck Kohlah (a young student who boards with Dina Dalal, a childhood friend of his mother's). These four characters, along with a handful of minor characters, are the true inspiration of this novel, and they remained with me even after I finished reading the book. They are all from different backgrounds and considered members of different castes and they all face their shares of injustices and obstacles, but somehow they are all brought together by this politically and economically changing time in India. Dina grew up in a wealthy family, but her life is completely turned upside down with the death of her father at the age of twelve, forcing her abusive older brother to take her under his care. Maneck, on the other hand, is born in mountain village and has loving parents who send him to boarding school. When the Emergency is declared in India, Maneck's activist friends have all gone into hiding so he gets his mom to arrange a different living situation for him, which leads him to Dina. Ishvar and his nephew Om were born into the Chamaar caste and were considered untouchable. Ishvar's father wanted a better future for his two sons (Ishvar and Narayan) so he sent them to apprentice with a Muslim tailor in a nearby village. These tailoring skills are passed on to Narayan's son, Om. A horrible and disastrous injustice falls upon their family, and Om and his uncle Ishvar move to Mumbai to get work. Their lives take a number of turns as they search and eventually find work tailoring for Dina in her home. Dina and the tailor's small sewing business runs smoothly at first, but the effects of the Emergency becomes an ever growing presence that continues to bother them. This book made me fall in love with its characters, and it also brought me to tears of anger and shock. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book. It's a long, but very captivating read.