Living in the Shadows

Amnesty, a novel by Aravind Adiga, made me see my hometown of Sydney in a completely new light. Adiga’s previous novels, including White Tiger which won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 2008, were all set in India. He used Sydney as a backdrop to his latest novel after spending time here as an international student and staying with a friend in Erskinville, an inner-city suburb which features in the book.

The suburbs of the inner west, along with the central business district of Sydney and Kings Cross provide the backdrop for the story of Danny, a Sri Lankan student who arrives to find that the private college for his intended study is a fake. When Danny abandons his enrolment, his status changes to that of an illegal immigrant who, if caught, could be deported.

Danny elects to live in the shadows as a cleaner and grows to love his adopted city. His voice dominates the third person narrative. He is an optimistic and curious character and an acute observer of people and place. His amusing impressions of Australia and its citizens provide fresh insights into the city of Sydney.

The murder of one of Danny’s clients sets in motion a terrible emotional struggle for him. Essentially an honest man, Danny feels compelled to tell the police what he knows about the victim and his suspicions as to the identity of the killer. On the other hand, any contact with the authorities could lead to deportation. The novel takes us through a day in the life of Danny as he wrestles with this dilemma.

I found this novel a thoroughly diverting read due to its sympathetic protagonist and his novel observations as he traversed familiar landmarks in central Sydney. I’ll never see Central Station the same way again.

Insights I gained about the lives of illegal immigrants have stayed with me long after reading Amnesty. Adiga has brought to light a hidden segment of our population and, in this short novel, made a powerful case for amnesty.