A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance
First edition
AuthorRohinton Mistry
Cover artistDario Mitidieri[1]
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical novel
Published1995 (McClelland and Stewart)
Publication placeCanada
Media typePrint (Paperback)
ISBN0-679-44608-7
OCLC33819149
813/.54 20
LC ClassPR9199.3.M494 F56 1996

A Fine Balance is the second novel by Rohinton Mistry, published by McClelland and Stewart in 1995. Set in "an unidentified city" in India, initially in 1975 and later in 1984 during the turmoil of The Emergency,[2] the book focuses on four characters from varied backgrounds – Dina Dalal, Ishvar Darji, his nephew Omprakash Darji, and the young student Maneck Kohlah – who come together and develop a bond.

The novel won the 1995 Giller Prize.[3] It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1996. It was one of the only two Canadian books selected for Oprah's Book Club, and was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, championed by actress Megan Follows. In 2014, A Fine Balance was ranked in The Telegraph as one of the 10 all-time greatest Asian novels.[4] Emma-Lee Potter of The Independent listed it as the book with the strongest prose and character development out of 12 Indian novels "that everyone needs to read."[5]

An acclaimed stage adaptation of the novel by the Tamasha Theatre Company was produced at the Hampstead Theatre in London in 2006 and later revived in 2007.

  1. ^ "Dario Mitidieri's Children of Bombay". Fans in a Flashbulb. March 24, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  2. ^ Mojtabai, A. G. (June 23, 1996). "An Accidental Family". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  3. ^ "A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry". CBC Books. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. July 1, 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  4. ^ "10 best Asian novels of all time". The Telegraph. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  5. ^ "12 best Indian novels that everyone needs to read". The Independent. 2020-08-05. Archived from the original on 2019-12-31. Retrieved 2020-12-23.