Thank you Captain Haddock for your wonderful opinion, and stating that it was not about colonialism. Our friend Disco Dancer is aggresively arguing that the award is tied to the colonial history of Britain. A great writer is the one who can create wonderful characters. Some like it, some dont..but at least its telling a story. If people are interested in reading some fast track thriller, they have plenty to read. Few books every year will stand out for its literary value. I think this book was one of them. Kiran Desai is not VS Naipul: for that matter, there is no other VS Naipaul, Nadine Gordimer, Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie...and the list goes on. If one writer would merely replicate the writing style of the others, what would that be? They all bring to the table their unique obersvation, writing skills, and story telling. Its a wonderful world where writers with varying degree of depth give us something to read. Some will challenge you, some will make you feel good/bad.