I have also read 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Mistry, an Indian writer who now lives in Canada. Set in India in the 1970s when the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, invoked emergency powers to tighten control over the country. The central characters, particularly Ishvar and his nephew, Om, two poor tailors, are caught up in events where human rights and the legal process are widely flouted. The consequences are sometimes frightening, especially when added to the long running problems of inter-community tension and violence suffered by people from lower castes. However, the novel also includes many episodes when human nature is shown at its best, as people help each other, often at great risk, in the struggle to survive.