Book review. A&Q (Slumdog Millionaire) (2)

Book Review
Q and A (re-branded as Slumdog Millionaire )
Q & A is a novel written by Vikas Swarup, an Indian diplomat. Published in 2005, it was the author 's first novel. Set in India, it tells the story of Ram Mohammad Thomas , a poor young waiter who becomes the biggest quiz-show winner in history, only to be sent to jail on accusations (but with no evidence or proof ) that he cheated. It was the basis of the 2008 feature film Slumdog Millionaire. The novel was re-published under the title Slumdog Millionaire after the success of the film . The book is divided into 14 topics ( included the prologue and the epilogue). Each chapter of the book focuses on questions and answers from the quiz-show, but also a story, how Ram Mohammad Thomas knew answer for all the questions he was asked for.
One of the main reasons whay I started to read this book, was the success of the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Although I had not seen the film I thought that the theme of the book and the film was very interesting . So I decided to read the novel first, because the chances are (predictably and almost consistently so), I would like the book better. Most of the movies that were based on books like Pride and Prejudice , Harry Potter , and the more recent Marley and Me and multiple award- winning Slumdog Millionaire for example, fell short to its namesake. While they were no doubt entertaining films , fans of the book would have expected more and so would I. The book had a depth and a feeling , that was to me, lost in the movie. Page after page, I was riveted. His mis-adventures were more real, more painful, more lonely somehow - even though he was all of that in the movie too. His ambition was driven by more than love. And through all his life, his personality shone through. He was earnest, street- wise , innocent, likeable, and always, unassumingly profound . He learned from his experiences , but was prone to making the same mistakes. And I ended the book, feeling like I have lived a thousand lives . The movie just ended with a signature Bollywood song and dance .
My take on this is obvious - if you've read the book and haven 't seen the movie, expect it to be a completely different story. But if you've done it the other way around , read the book, forget about the movie, and you'll fall more in love with the main character. Ram Mohammad Thomas made you laugh in the movie. In the book, he made you think.