Amnesty: Aravind Adiga

I was between 3 and 4 stars but have been generous and rounded up to 4 stars.The concept is great here, covering the world of illegal immigration in one day, based around a murder of someone the main character used to know. This concept gives time for the reality of the situation to slowly come to the fore, the feelings of our protagonist and his situation and how he thinks other see him and his kind.The murder story takes second fiddle and is used to supplement the main topic, so if you are expecting a murder mystery leave this alone.I liked the main character, I liked the concept and I liked the story.What I liked a lot less was the writing, Adiga writes well for the most part but then occasionally, he throws in really descriptive and confusing paragraphs and the writing jars so you have to read the paragraph again (often without luck).Overall, I liked this though but it's not on the same level as white tiger. 7/10

I really love this author's work. It is so raw and real and exposes a world that those privileged (that don't even realise they are privileged by country of birth) that others live in. Reading this I am torn by wanting to know what happens next but finding it so painful to read. After reading these books I am always so grateful for what I have.

Amnesty is the story of Danny, an illegal immigrant living in Sydney and scraping a living as a cleaner. We follow him over the course of a single day as he discovers one of his clients has been murdered. Danny believes he knows who was responsible and so he is faced with a moral dilemma - does he report what he knows to the police and run the risk of deportation?It's an interesting read in that it highlights just how desperate a plight being illegal is and how vulnerable it leaves you to exploitation. However, it didn't really live up to my expectations. Danny's is a disjointed and rambling voice which detracts from the immediacy of the story's compressed timeline. As a result, there is no real sense of threat or trepidation and ultimately it just fizzles out.

Aravind Adiga is a great writer. The White Tiger was fabulous and his subsequent novels, with the exception of the one on cricket, were excellent.This is an important book. It tackles a difficult theme - the undocumented migrant - with passion, depth and empathy. it's well-written and thought-provoking.But, and it is a small 'but', the novel is hard-going, and I am not entirely sure why. I found my attention kept wandering and, in the end, I was left a little unsatisfied. Too bad. I hope the next one recaptures the success of his first.

'Amnesty' is an intense, slow-burn novel set over the course of a single day - or really, just a few hours of it. Danny is a Sri Lankan cleaner living illegally in Australia, in constant fear of deportation. When one his clients is murdered, he is tormented by the knowledge he has information that might help the police find her killer - but to come forwards would risk his own exposure. It's a powerful dilemma and one that is easy to sympathise with.The story covers Danny's movements and thought processes on that day in minute, almost minute-by-minute detail. As part of that, it unravels his history - how he came to be in Australia, and why he believes he knows who killed his client.I found it quite good initially, but by two thirds of the way through I was pretty tired of his agonising and wanted to shout at him to hurry up and call the hotline - or decide not to once and for all - and put all of us out of our misery. I also found the story of his relationship with the murdered woman and her boyfriend rather weird and unbelievable, and when he got in touch with the potential killer and started conversations with him the story took another turn for the worse. It just wasn't plausible. Not least why he'd be so utterly stupid as to phone the man, particularly given the likelihood of him either becoming the next victim or at least reported directly to the border patrol force.So all in all it was frustrating and a waste of a good concept, particularly from a writer like Adiga who is capable of turning out very good books. It does highlight the perilous conditions for people like Danny, who live at the edge of society and have no way 'in' legitimately once they have arrived. The conversation on an internet forum early in the book - which Adiga says in the acknowledgements is copied closely from a genuine one - is very telling. It shows how creating an environment so hostile results in risks to the country concerned - people not coming forwards to solve crimes, or to get communicable diseases treated, etc. etc. The lack of compassion is not only wrong, but counterlogical.Another novel which has a similar theme but is much more readable is 'The Other Americans' by Leila Lalami. If you like the concept and want to see it done well, I'd recommend it. As for this book, it might appeal to readers who like very intense, heavy psychological stories.

Sri Lankan Danny, denied refugee status in Australia, stays on in Sydney, dodging the authorities, until one day he faces a dilemma. Should he come forward with his knowledge of a murderer’s identity... or not? The dilemma itself is drawn out and repetitious, but the predicament of a likeable, honest, hardworking individual, wanting the things in life we all do, whose misfortune is to be ‘illegal’ and ‘brown’ in a ‘white’ world, kept me engaged. Best read with a street map of Sydney to hand, as over the course of a day its various districts are evocatively described.

I am a great fan of Adiga but this time I was disappointed. The only part that I found captivating is the story of Danny’s relationship/friendship with his employers and the pursuit of the killer of the landlady he worked for (who follows whom is not clear). apart from this, the story is too long and the digressions on Danny’s whereabouts before he lands in Australia are a side-story with a lot of moral in it and not very clear altogether. My attention and patience were fading the more I read on and eventually I dropped the book.

Nice read but white tiger was better,,, the book becomes predictable somehow not much of a mystery nor able to understand a clear motive of the antagonist..

Being a beginner reader the book was pretty complex at times. But being an immigrant myself I found some bits to be relatable and nostalgic. The story was amazing and I wanted to find out what’s next page after page. Quick read. Great addition to the bookshelf.

Always a good read but tedious

Currently reading the 2021 Miles Franklin shortlist and this book number 4 on my list of 6. Written by the 2008 booker prize winner it is a fast paced narrative that takes place over one day in the life of a Sri Lankan man, Danny, living in Sydney illegally. He is the key to solving a murder but making a tip off to police will result in almost certain deportation…..will or won’t he? More importantly a portrayal of “the others” living in the white dominated urban landscape of Australia.