What Else is there for a Boy Like Me?

Patrick Moon abandons a successful career as a city solicitor and heads for India. Where better, he thinks, to come to terms with the opportunity he has created for himself: the chance to reinvent his life... But how much of his old self and his old view of the world will survive this watershed? How should he best “fill in the blank sheet of paper” in front of him? And how will he deal with his other reason for travelling to India? He wants to try to reinvent another life: that of Mohamd, a talented young Indian from a primitive village in the Rajasthan desert, whose potential is blocked by the twin obstacles of poverty and caste. But Patrick underestimates how much of the weight of Indian society will be stacked against him, and how difficult it will be to pluck an individual out of India’s crowd. In the end, neither of these twin efforts to change a life works out as Patrick expected. But, while one can be counted a success, the other ends profoundly unhappily. A tale as rich in comedy and affection for India as it is full of sadness, love and regret, What else is there for a boy like me? is a compelling read, not only for ‘Indiaphiles’ but also for anyone who has ever felt the impulse to try to change the fortunes of someone from a less privileged part of the world. It will also appeal to anyone who has ever fantasised about changing careers in middle age, as well as all those who have an interest in the issue of arranged marriages.