Q & A by Vikas Swarup

Q & A tells the story of Ram Mohammad Thomas an uneducated waiter who takes part in a TV quiz called Who Will Win a Billion and becomes the first person to answer all 12 questions correctly and with it a billion rupees. The book opens with Ram being questioned and tortured by the police. They believe he must have cheated. After all how could a poor orphan who never went to school and whose never read a newspaper successfully answer the questions. Ram is on the point of signing a confession when he is saved by the arrival of a good samaritan a lawyer called Smita. Back at her apartment Ram who is 18 reveals what he has experienced in his short life and with it how he came to know the answers to the questions.

I thought the connection between Ram's tales and the quiz show questions worked well. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to everyone. An easy holiday read.

Tony Riley