Adiga explores the materialism and technology-induced mania of twenty-first century urban India through the tale of Balram Halwa, a village pauper-turned-entrepreneur. It's a transfixing story, both shocking and entertaining, of hard-fought success. Adiga's India is a place where religion doesn't create morality and money doesn't solve every problem, though craven ambition can get you far indeed. Winner of the 2008 Booker Prize.  (IDA542, $15.00)