I've just finished reading A Fine Balance for the second time in order to lead a book club discussion,and I found that once again this novel left me breathless, totally transported, and awestruck at the sheer resilience of the human spirit. It takes a great talent to craft such memorable characters, to allow us to live in their shoes, to write with such clarity and honesty about human suffering. This is simply one of the best novels I have ever read! Don't miss it.