David’s Reviews > A Fine Balance > Status Update

Oh gloom and despair, the somewhat happy ending that I might have hoped for seems a distant memory, after Shankar has died, Avisham (Maneck's school friend and chess player) was clearly tortured and murdered, Ishvar and Om were forcibly sterilized and then Om castrated, Ishvar's resulting infection leading to the loss of his legs. It seems it would have been too obvious to have them die, they must instead suffer.

The story of the kittens moved into the kitchen and abandoned, then their growing up and leaving. Followed by beggarmaster's story of Shankar's mom, and how she was actually his step-mom, so he and Shankar were half brothers. But they are not to tell anyone of this story!

Trouble between the young men - after they'd grown closer during vacation time, they fight over spying on Aunty while she is bathing. Dina and Ishvar don't know the real problem, but the boys haven't resolved it yet. Also there was some dredging of Maneck's school troubles when he was teaching Om chess.

The tailors have managed to get back to their employer Dina, and she is so relieved that she's letting them sleep on her verandah and now they are cooking and eating together. The emergency orders of the government still stand, things are potentially dangerous, so letting them stay helps to ensure they are not carried off again. Because they are around more, they seem to be growing on her.

Now our intrepid tailors have been rounded up from their entryway sleeping arrangement with a truckload of beggars and carted off to a remote place to work, missing their workday completely. Manek helps Dina with trying to finish as much sewing in 2 days as they can while telling her the tragic story of these 2 tailors, starting to open her eyes to their plight.

Dina finally relented and agreed to keep the tailors' trunk so they don't have to tire themselves hauling it back and forth from her place to the apothecary entrance where they've managed to find a cheap but busy place to try to sleep.

More bad luck - their shabby hut and all those of their neighbors have been leveled by "the government," led by their landlord, of all people. Now they're back to trying to find a place to sleep, which must be very close to free or they can't afford it. Dina is not very sympathetic and is irritated by Maneck's concerns for them.

The flag's occupants are all getting to know each other better. The young men get along, sometimes a little too playfully well. The country's emergency status seems an ominous presence in multiple ways, such as the forced busing to a remote field for speeches with the promised rewards inadequately delivered.

Poor Maneck, away at school, with a government state of emergency declared and his one friend caught up in trying to improve things. Then he gets bullied himself, writes home to try to get out of school, but ends up at Dina's.