Emma Pattee is a climate journalist and fiction writer. Her work has been published in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and elsewhere.
Her debut novel, Tilt, is available now.
At Electric Lit Pattee tagged eight "contemporary novels that explore ambition in complicated, nuanced, and exciting ways." One title on the list:
The White Tiger by Aravind AdigaRead about another novel on the list.
Written in the form of a letter, The White Tiger tells the story of a Indian man who was born into incredible poverty and is now a self-made entrepreneur, and murderer. Aravind Adiga is one of my favorite writers, and this book is no exception. At turns a social critique of modern-day India, a meticulous satire of greed and striving, and an examination of ambition that comes from desperation but truly eats you alive. I read a review that called it an “anguishing howl of rage” about poverty and class inequity. I’d say that pretty much nails it.
The White Tiger is on Nathan Go's list of eight novels with narrators who defy our expectations, Saskia Lacey's list of fifty incredible literary works destined to become classics, Louise Doughty's six best books list, Amy Wilkinson's list of seven top books with "white" in the title, Julia Stuart's list of five of the best stories about domestic servants, Stephen Kelman's top ten list of outsiders' stories, and is one of The Freakonomics guys' six best books.
The Page 69 Test: The White Tiger.
--Marshal Zeringue
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