India, Sept. 27 -- Every now and then one comes across a book that makes you stop, think, and question. That's not as unusual as you may suppose. But I didn't think it would happen in the case of the book I am writing about today. I have known its author, Tavleen Singh, as an engaging columnist and the writer of revealing political books. Some, like Durbar, were gripping. But I would never have thought her first novel, The Actor, could be arresting. The truth is, it is.

The book is a roman a clef. As the preface indicates, it is "set in a time in India - a time in the future - when religion has become more important than politics". A populist strongman rules the country and it's firmly in his grasp. His name is Guru Gyanendraji Maharaj, ...