This is a meticulous and well crafted fictional narrative which while selling a cliched love story involving all the rags to riches symbolism, profoundly differs in that that it remains grounded in reality. It is not an irredeemable flight of fancy on the author's part, and the protagonist is possibly more flawed than the novel's anti-hero. But it is essentially a tale of redemption and ultimately forgiveness told through the eyes of Madan Kumar, our tragi-hero. Crisp and prescient, who knows? We might have the next Slum Dog Millionaire on our hands if Hollywood ever picks up this book. ( )

Set in northern India, “Three Bargains” is decorated with many colorful, not always familiar, words. So many that I underlined them in pencil, when I normally don’t like to write in books, and made my own kind of glossary, thanks to Wikipedia and Wiktionary. Food, clothing, occupations, religious and cultural practices are among these words new to me, yet the clarity of the writing and story-telling is remarkable. Reading about Madan, Avtaar Singh, Jaggu, all of the characters – their personalities are immediate and well-focused. The novel tells Madan’s story through so many events, good, bad, and deadly, and never strays far from the intensity behind this young man. Avtaar Singh – always those two names together, sometimes with the suffix “-ji”, and only once as “Avtaar Uncle,” is a powerful mobster – really, I think that is an accurate comparison. For certain I do not agree with his way of conducting business; much of western culture, too is perhaps at odds with his approach, but to see the way he balanced good and evil, and how this passed on to Madan, is exceptionally well done by Tania Malik. Often Madan thinks that violence upon others will settle his soul, but how can it? That is something I cannot understand, though it is not to say that any of these people are all evil or all good. At times Madan does a good deed to follow the bad one, even involving the same person. Time, too, shapes his outlook, and that of his family as well. There is plenty to think about while, and after, reading this.

I find fiction more difficult to review, because I don’t want to give away too much of the plot. “Three Bargains” reminds me of “The Last Summer of the Death Warriors” by Francisco X. Stork, in a different setting, but with many of these universal, human themes. While it can be upsetting, for the strong emotional twists and turns, it is ultimately a rewarding reading experience. This is a powerful work, and the characters and their actions will stay in my memory for a long time.

Note: I won a copy of this title through Goodreads' First Reads. ( )

In the small town of Gorapur, Madan catches the interest of his father's boss, Avtaar Singh. Avtaar rules over the town with an iron fist, and his attention can make or break Madan. When Madan bargains his father's life away to save his sister, he becomes like a son to Avtaar and spends his youth working for him. After impregnating the daughter of a local landowner, Madan is forced out of Gorapur and is forced to start over.

This was an interesting look at another culture and the dynamics between fathers and sons. It was well written and engaging. It moved at a fast paced and easily drew me in. Overall, a good book, one well worth reading. ( )

Absolutely solid debut novel.Characters are well-developed and stay true to their descriptions. Plot is plausible and captivating. I keep wanting to live in this book. I look forward to more from this author. ( )