India, Aug. 9 -- When characters in a novel are excessively reticent, checking for signs of boredom in their lives can provide valuable insight. This exercise presents the root causes of their inaction, which are usually linked to feelings of insufficiency and a traumatic past. Keshava Guha's The Tiger's Share does exactly this as it helps readers determine the motives behind the inaction, delayed action and ultimate actions of Brahm Saxena, a patriarch of one of the two rich Delhi families, the Chawlas and the Saxenas, featured in this novel. The book begins with Brahm calling a "summit". It's a strange choice of word, and what's even stranger is his wife, Malini, exclaiming, "Brahm, what's this bakwas?" on hearing his declaration about inheritance. It confuses their children too: Tara, a lawyer and the novel's narrator, and Rohit, a dud who goes to the US hoping to secure an H-1B visa but returns to claim "his right", based solely on his gender. Sibling rivalries, which this novel centralises, are nothing new, but Guha makes them interesting. Lila, the Chawlas' biological daughter, reconnects with Tara at her father's chautha ceremony. She does this not only owing to the latter's profession but also because of the "symmetry" of their families. After the senior Chawla's death, the adopted son, Kunal, who was "chosen" from a group of 177 male children at a Chandigarh orphanage because he was the "heaviest" and "fairest," is positioning himself as the head of the family, displeasing Lila. "Unhappy families we all know," writes Guha, "but most families are neither happy nor unhappy; they find their equilibrium, and as long as they hold it life is essentially endurable." Presenting the falling apart over inheritance of two South Delhi families soaked in privilege accrued as a result of caste and class isn't new either. What's interesting is Guha's prose, as he pokes fun at his characters and their milieu. Tara's rants and monologues reflect the traits of the city's moneyed snobs. Multiple mentions of The Bookshop, Jor Bagh, establish that even if someone like Tara is aware of a Leftist bookstore like May Day, she can never be seen there. Then, in seeking validation from Lila, she demonstrates how certain homosocial bonds work, with the opinions of the richer and more powerful of the two acquiring more heft. However, the foundations of an ambitious novel are shaken when minor inconsistencies arise in characters, casting doubt on the believability of their thoughts and actions. Sample this: "Defence Colony market has Manhattan rents and Ghaziabad architecture." Now, Tara most certainly possesses knowledge about Manhattan, but not Ghaziabad. Her thoughts can't possibly go beyond a couple of neighbourhoods or the power corridors she frequents. One of the novel's major themes is the climate crisis, which holds both a liminal and concrete position in the way the story progresses. While the former is alluded to when Brahm digresses during the "summit", readers are convinced of the latter too late when Guha manoeuvres the story to make space for engagement in various forms, such as Kunal having smoothies made of his father's ashes, Tara's intern Jahnavi spying on Kunal's right-wing-appeasing office, and Lila making Tara meet Ashwin, a publishing circuit douchebag - "the first fish in a world of plankton" - who is a lackey of the extremely wealthy Vikramaditya Rai. All of which is interesting. But no matter how wonderfully the entry of select characters is chalked out, their departures and long absences tend to bother the engaged reader. Rohit, who has a pivotal role, appears to be a character devised to be forgotten after his job is done. Malini's presence is shadow-like and quite ignorable. Despite a crucial monologue towards the end, she remains ill-conceived. Still, the multifarious ways in which inheritance is presented makes The Tiger's Share a refreshing read. Take Brahm reflecting on the kind of world future generations will inherit. Who will ensure that they inhabit a planet where the air is breathable? Can an act of courage bring about monumental change? What does it take to challenge an individual's conscience and make them act? If the novel succeeds, it is because it compels its reader to engage with moral dilemmas and the many crises facing the world today....