Q & A. Vikas Swarup.

Q & A. Vikas Swarup. 2005. Read by Kerry Shale. 5 cds. 6 hrs. Abridged. Audio Partners. 1-57270-487-x. $27.95. Cardboard; plot, author, reader notes. A

The protagonist of this cleverly constructed novel is Ram Mohammed Thomas, an 18-year-old waiter from Mumbai. His name, a mixture of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian, connotes an Indian Everyman, but he has done something few people could hope to do: win 12 trivia questions on the quiz show Who Will Win a Billion? The dishonest show directors accuse him of cheating, and the corrupt police smack him into jail. Thomas tells his story to a sympathetic lawyer. Every question on the quiz reminds him of some incident that gave him a piece of esoteric knowledge. Along with the extraordinary coincidences, Thomas also relates the injustices and brutality he has encountered, including various graphically described forms of torture.

Author Swarup is an Indian diplomat, and this is his first novel. Award-winning reader and actor Shale gives the hero a moderate Indian accent, and he makes the quiz master sound like a leering gangster. Characters of other nationalities are also rendered in the appropriate accents. Shale doesn't hold back and some listeners may find the reading more dramatic than it needs to be. But it moves along briskly and energetically. None can question the ingeniousness of the plot, the range of interesting material, and the pointed criticism of crooks and malfeasants of all sorts. Betsy Woodman, Andover, NH

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.