Fiction

The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things

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  • Create Date：2021-05-24 10:55:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Arundhati Roy
  • ISBN：0006550681
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Summary

"They all crossed into forbidden territory。 They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how。 And how much。"

The year is 1969。 In the state of Kerala， on the southernmost tip of India， fraternal twins Esthappen and Rahel fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family。 Their lonely， lovely mother， Ammu， （who loves by night the man her children love by day）， fled an abusive marriage to live with their blind grandmother， Mammachi （who plays Handel on her violin）， their beloved uncle Chacko （Rhodes scholar， pickle baron， radical Marxist， bottom-pincher）， and their enemy， Baby Kochamma （ex-nun and incumbent grandaunt）。 When Chacko's English ex-wife brings their daughter for a Christmas visit， the twins learn that things can change in a day， that lives can twist into new， ugly shapes， even cease forever， beside their river。。。

"A banquet for all the senses"， said Newsweek of this bestselling and Booker Prize-winning literary novel--a richly textured first book about the tragic decline of one family whose members suffer the terrible consequences of forbidden love。

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Reviews

Homa ，

Wow！ What a beautiful written and heart wrenching book！

Tina ，

Wow！ This book is phenomenal。 Vivid and visual， packed with metaphors that literally make you see， hear and smell India。 It is a rare talent indeed that can achieve that while at the same time not feeling overly descriptive。 The story is chock full of intertwining emotions。 An aunt who had an unrequited， forbidden love， who in her jealousy and righteousness over her nieces forbidden love unleashes her contempt with sickening consequences。 Imaginative children， longing for the love and acceptance Wow！ This book is phenomenal。 Vivid and visual， packed with metaphors that literally make you see， hear and smell India。 It is a rare talent indeed that can achieve that while at the same time not feeling overly descriptive。 The story is chock full of intertwining emotions。 An aunt who had an unrequited， forbidden love， who in her jealousy and righteousness over her nieces forbidden love unleashes her contempt with sickening consequences。 Imaginative children， longing for the love and acceptance of parents， who believe they are to blame for their mother’s unhappiness and can somehow wish to make it better。 A mother who really was no different from her children， looking for love and adventure and acceptance herself。 Men， one touchable， the other untouchable， but both educated and intelligent， albeit in different ways， not following in their own fathers footsteps， caring， loving， kind and not subscribing to societal norms of male/female roles。 Upperclass feeling as though they have all the power and realizing they have little。 Lower class feeling they have little but really have it all。 This book is so intricately woven and complex， it is one that can be discussed on so many levels and from so many perspectives。 Political， class systems， familial relationships， the list goes on。 The more you think about what takes place the more opens up for further thought and contemplation。 Rich and lush with emotion and meaning， I absolutely loved it from beginning to end。 。。。more

Nathan Clark ，

An astounding read filled with remorse and the price that tradition and history can have upon future generations。 The prose is quite poetic and fluid， interconnecting characters with their home and landscape。 The book feels alive， as though it is an active individual in itself， and when reading it， it’s like peering into its soul; its Heart of Darkness。

Donna ，

Beautiful prose; Roy is a poet。 Very sad story though。

Merve ，

Yorum yapabilecek gücüm kalmadı。 Güzellik Bir Yaradır kitabında da hissettigim， mideme inen bir yumruk gibiydi。 Hindistan'da ki toplumsal ve siyasal ortamı anlattığı kısımlar dışında aşina olduğum， bilmedigim bir şey anlatmayan - özellikle muhaliflere yönelik saldırganlık， kolluk kuvvetinin orantısız güç ve yetkisi， kadın ve çocuk istismarı gibi- ama çok güçlü bir kitap。 Zorlayıcı bir yanı var。 Çok zor akan tarafları var ve sanırım biraz da bu amaçlanmış。 Dünya zor bir yer。 Bunu zor hale getiren Yorum yapabilecek gücüm kalmadı。 Güzellik Bir Yaradır kitabında da hissettigim， mideme inen bir yumruk gibiydi。 Hindistan'da ki toplumsal ve siyasal ortamı anlattığı kısımlar dışında aşina olduğum， bilmedigim bir şey anlatmayan - özellikle muhaliflere yönelik saldırganlık， kolluk kuvvetinin orantısız güç ve yetkisi， kadın ve çocuk istismarı gibi- ama çok güçlü bir kitap。 Zorlayıcı bir yanı var。 Çok zor akan tarafları var ve sanırım biraz da bu amaçlanmış。 Dünya zor bir yer。 Bunu zor hale getiren de bizzatihi insanın kendisi。 Kadınların， çocukların， hayvanların， doğanın suçu ne？ Küçük şeyler bazen insanı hayatta tutuyor。 Küçük şeyler bazen insanı， yaşamı yeniden kuruyor。 Aksi de mümkün tabi。 Dengesi çok hassas。 Çok kırılgan bir yüzeyde bir ip üzerinde yürümeye benziyor。 。。。more

Beth ，

Many aspects of this book were lovely， but for me， it was too hard to follow the story line。 It's as if poetic language， imagry， and artistic license overwhelmed the plot， which was actually quite good。 As a reader， I jfeel a bit used when I have to work so hard to put the story together。 Like I'm being teased。 That said， I realize this is a critically acclaimed book and quite beautiful in its own way。 It has helped me realize that perhaps my personal taste values a well told story above all els Many aspects of this book were lovely， but for me， it was too hard to follow the story line。 It's as if poetic language， imagry， and artistic license overwhelmed the plot， which was actually quite good。 As a reader， I jfeel a bit used when I have to work so hard to put the story together。 Like I'm being teased。 That said， I realize this is a critically acclaimed book and quite beautiful in its own way。 It has helped me realize that perhaps my personal taste values a well told story above all else。 Now that I've reached the end， everything falls into place， but it sure took a lot of work to get here。 Perhaps mysteries are spoiling my literary palate。 。。。more

Alaa Abdul Fattah ，

قرأتها أيام نادي كتاب شبيبة دمياط، ولعل ما اذكره قليل من تلك الأحداث المأساوية ولكن ألا يكفي أني حين رأيت العنوان حضر كل ذلك الألم الباذخ！！！！！！！。 ا

Faye ，

I am so extremely torn over what I actually think about this book。 Its elevator pitch has all the ingredients that I would typically adore in a novel--gorgeous， intentional prose; a narrative following multiple generations--， and yet it just simply Didn't Work For Me。 The plot twist left me very underwhelmed as it concerned a character that （I felt） I hadn't been given the opportunity to get to know at all; just some dribs and drabs of metaphor and description here and there that were all beauti I am so extremely torn over what I actually think about this book。 Its elevator pitch has all the ingredients that I would typically adore in a novel--gorgeous， intentional prose; a narrative following multiple generations--， and yet it just simply Didn't Work For Me。 The plot twist left me very underwhelmed as it concerned a character that （I felt） I hadn't been given the opportunity to get to know at all; just some dribs and drabs of metaphor and description here and there that were all beautiful but didn't actually get me closer to the character。 This was actually a bit of a running theme with the writing， I feel: the prose was by far the most intentional， experimental， and beautiful I've ever read--to the point where the entire book read like poetry。 Good， right？ Before reading this， as a sucker for lyrical， lush writing， I'd probably have agreed--and yet I daresay it was all a little too much。 By constantly 'zooming in' on our main characters， I came to understand their most raw， vulnerable， and unedited trains of thought， emotions， and traits--all wonderful， except I never felt that we 'zoomed out' and got to view these characters as whole people that I could describe to somebody else。 Instead， they feel like cloudy wisps in my imagination that I feel I know well， yet when I try to bring them to my mind's eye， all I see is some sort of shadow or abstraction， features blurred。 I felt I was under the characters' skin more often than I was in their heads。 I can also say the same for the plot。There is no denying that this book is masterful and expertly crafted， and yet by focusing all attention on the Small Things （ha ha）， I feel like the Big， Overarching Things （the plot; the character development） were left neglected， in turn leaving this book a big haze in my head--a haze that I know was beautiful， but I couldn't tell you anything about。 。。。more

Vartika ，

The God of Small Things is an extraordinary achievement on all counts—a tale that tackles taboos， transgressions， and the tide of history itself; blending a lush， verdant prose style and an intricate， multi-layered narrative with exquisite grace。 Set in 1960s Kerala， the novel opens with the funeral of a 9-year-old and goes back and forth in time and place to weave together a compelling， multi-generational saga of pain， change， and preservation。 And love， a force ungovernable but located tragica The God of Small Things is an extraordinary achievement on all counts—a tale that tackles taboos， transgressions， and the tide of history itself; blending a lush， verdant prose style and an intricate， multi-layered narrative with exquisite grace。 Set in 1960s Kerala， the novel opens with the funeral of a 9-year-old and goes back and forth in time and place to weave together a compelling， multi-generational saga of pain， change， and preservation。 And love， a force ungovernable but located tragically in the shadow of law。 And loss， which comes for us all—because of it all。Paradise Pickles & PreservesThe central tension in The God of Small Things is one between preservation and change， be it on levels personal or political。 Somewhere close to the very beginning， we learn that Pappachi; the now-deceased patriarch of the affluent Syrian Christian family our tale is centred around; was an Imperial Entomologist， and died without recognition for the species of moth he had discovered。 But pappachi's moth stands for something far greater than it seems—it is an oblique reference to the Butterfly Effect that stands as the governing logic of our world， where Small Things can， and do， lead to Big Things: “Little events， ordinary things， smashed and reconstituted。 Imbued with new meaning。 Suddenly they become the bleached bones of a story。” Successive generations of the family， too， would be similarly preoccupied with preservation， if not of insects: Pappachi's son， the Oxford-educated Marxist-with-a-feudal-libido， Chacko， makes his mother's pickles into a commercial venture that also deals in jams and jellies （and an 'illegal' banana preservative could not neatly be categorised as either—a metaphor nestled amidst many others）。 Still more important， however， is the place the preservation of reputation and caste dynamics holds in this tale， and it is this that steers the lives of Ammu; Chacko's divorcee sister; and her two-egg twins Estha and Rahel， into a tragic， haunting spin。 It is through the schizoid turn of events in these characters' lives that we touch upon that of the marginalised figure who is， conceptually， the focus of the tale—the titular God of Small Things， Velutha， who belongs to the oppressed Paravan （pariah） caste。Love LawsRoy is well-known today for wielding her pen towards activism and holding up a mirror to exploitative social realities。 This is true for this book， too， an astounding literary debut if there ever was one。 “And when we look in through the windows， all we see are shadows。 And when we try and listen， all we hear is a whispering。 And we cannot understand the whispering， because our minds have been invaded by a war。 A war that we have both won and lost。 The very worst sort of war。 A war that captures dreams and re-dreams them。 A war that has made us adore our conquerors and despise ourselves。” The period in which The God of Small Things is set is assumed to be one of change， where constitutional rights—and in Kerala’s case， Communism—had begun to challenge the deep-set feudal， caste-based relations according to which Indian society is arranged。 One of the most commendable features of Roy’s writing here is that it manages to expose the hollowness of this assumption: she uses the plot and the lives of the affluent Syrian Christian family at the story’s center to show how prejudiced caste， gender， and class dynamics retain their hold on the way live and love。 Unlike many other seemingly well-meaning upper-caste authors whose approach to addressing caste is examining the lives of the oppressed， Roy critiques the continued prejudices of the oppressors， the affluent touchable folk who are the helm of the social hierarchy。 Characters like Mammachi and Baby Kochamma show that the oppressor’s attitudes towards the oppressed remain patronising and full of false generosity， where land and employment are “allowed” to the latter as long as they remain loyal to the authority of the status quo。 Vellya Paapen is thus a “good” Paravan for keeping within the bounds assigned to him， while his son Velutha is seen with suspicion for demanding his rights as a worker （Even here， the ‘upper’ caste assume agency， blaming each other for allowing the untouchables “too much freedom” and consequentially "emboldening" them）。Velutha’s greatest transgression， however， is assuming true equality， and daring to love one of them。 For this， and for the sake of preservation， he must be punished， never mind the fact that what he did is not criminal on any real grounds。 Here， not even Comrade Pillai of the Communist Party stands by him—his loyalty， like that of the police is， after all， to his own caste， and to power。 The subjection of women is also something the author lends focus to at various points and with various characters throughout the story。 The deafening， defining crescendo， however， is drawn out in the fate that awaits Ammu， who， like Velutha， will also pay for overlooking her role in the preservation of reputations and the status quo。 The Love Laws work differently for her brother Chacko， of course， whose sexual appetites and liaising with ‘lower’ caste women is seen as part of his "needs"–to be humoured， and even encouraged。 There too is another set of siblings whose lives are torn asunder by the Love Laws; it is in the separation and re-union of Rahel and Estha that Roy provides us with her final piece of social comment， her last tragic metaphor。 “And there it was again。 Another religion turned against itself。 Another edifice constructed by the human mind， decimated by human nature。” A novel worth all the praise it has met with， and then some Roy's luminous debut was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 I'd first read this book several years ago， and could recall only the compelling prose and the faint edges of the storyline。 Approaching it again at a time when I possess a better understanding of the various issue it addresses， I feel completely disarmed by its genius， its sheer immensity。 The craft and complexity of it。 The gorgeous， glowing， human heart of it。This is not a book that can be adequately summarised and satisfactorily reviewed。 It says a lot of Big Things， and Small Things seep through the gaps between them。 It demands and commands one's attention; all of it。 Read this if you haven't already。 。。。more

Abby NVM ，

While the language was beautiful and evocative， I feel like I could not hold on to the story and barely remember any details， though that may be more due to my own intellectual failings than the book itself。

Debora Scott ，

What have I just read？ WowWowWow。。。A book to be reread， remembered， retold 。。。Perhaps I will try to read it backwards。 Perhaps I will read it again just to observe the words， the bewilderingly and fantastically creative constructions and deconstructions of the language。 At times I hated it。 I could not always keep up with the haphazard flow of the story， but then I gave in， I realized it was in this exact ecletic rhetoric that the beauty of her writing lies。 I had to pause to observe。 It was as What have I just read？ WowWowWow。。。A book to be reread， remembered， retold 。。。Perhaps I will try to read it backwards。 Perhaps I will read it again just to observe the words， the bewilderingly and fantastically creative constructions and deconstructions of the language。 At times I hated it。 I could not always keep up with the haphazard flow of the story， but then I gave in， I realized it was in this exact ecletic rhetoric that the beauty of her writing lies。 I had to pause to observe。 It was as if the words were physically shouting out the story。 You can almost feel the characters， the atmosphere， the surroundings。 Palpable lines written by an omniscient fairy。 。。。more

Shafeef Omar ，

Love。 Madness。 Hope。 Infinnate Joy。This book， a veritable literary work of craft， is structured impeccably。 An eloquent novel prose that lucidly blends English with sporadic Malayalam phrases and expressions。 Even though there were hints of events about to happen， it wasn't until the very end of the novel that all seemed to come full circle。 Heck， the title of the book only makes complete sense in the final chapter。 Arundathi Roy has managed to capture even the tiniest of details using words， wh Love。 Madness。 Hope。 Infinnate Joy。This book， a veritable literary work of craft， is structured impeccably。 An eloquent novel prose that lucidly blends English with sporadic Malayalam phrases and expressions。 Even though there were hints of events about to happen， it wasn't until the very end of the novel that all seemed to come full circle。 Heck， the title of the book only makes complete sense in the final chapter。 Arundathi Roy has managed to capture even the tiniest of details using words， which I hardly believe anyone other than a true mallu can genuinely appreciate。 This was quite a difficult book to run through for me because of its extensive vocabulary， but shout-out to Siri！Overall， it revolves around casteism， communism， and， most importantly， love， as seen through the eyes of Estha and Rahel， the two-egg twin protagonists。 Each character yearns for the voids in their lives to be filled。 Humorful， yet tragic and poignant。 It's an emotional rollercoaster to say the least。 In any sense， it is exceptional。 。。。more

Hariom ，

Very impressive story。

Ellie MacLeod ，

** Read for school **

Shafia ，

I bought this novel when I was 16 didn't get through it。 After 6 years I read it again and completed it， now I know why this novel is a man booker prize winner。 Full of symbols， socio-political issues， sexuality， deep rooted prejudice against lower caste， and other futile norms of Indian society。 Arundhati's writing style is lucid and very graphic with full of symbolism （in this novel） and once you get the gist of her writing style man there's no going back！！！！！ I bought this novel when I was 16 didn't get through it。 After 6 years I read it again and completed it， now I know why this novel is a man booker prize winner。 Full of symbols， socio-political issues， sexuality， deep rooted prejudice against lower caste， and other futile norms of Indian society。 Arundhati's writing style is lucid and very graphic with full of symbolism （in this novel） and once you get the gist of her writing style man there's no going back！！！！！ 。。。more

Lina ，

Enjoyed the vivid pictures amd descriptions to describe emotional states of characters。

Albert ，

Overall I think this book is decent。 The one thing that really stood out to me while I was reading the novel was Roy's skill to paint an elaborate and beautiful picture with words。 The diction of Roy to utilize beautiful metaphors to bring life to her characters was very fun to read。 One thing that irked me was that she used a few unique repeated phrases throughout the novel。 Each time that I came across one of these phrases， I stopped to try to figure out the literary significance。 It frustrate Overall I think this book is decent。 The one thing that really stood out to me while I was reading the novel was Roy's skill to paint an elaborate and beautiful picture with words。 The diction of Roy to utilize beautiful metaphors to bring life to her characters was very fun to read。 One thing that irked me was that she used a few unique repeated phrases throughout the novel。 Each time that I came across one of these phrases， I stopped to try to figure out the literary significance。 It frustrated me because I felt like there should've been something there unless I was too oblivious to pick up on it。 If there really was nothing in those unique phrases， I think it is a great waste as I think it would be extremely satisfying for the reader to realize the meaning behind the words they've been reading for the entire novel。 。。。more

Lise Petrauskas ，

I had a really really hard time getting through this book。 I have started it multiple times over the years and not gotten anywhere with it。 It has a slow start， and now that I've read it， I feel that the beginning is problematic。 So why did I rate it 4 stars？ I'm not quite sure， but I think the story will stick with me。 There's a real heart to it， a moral center in a way， but also an emotional intensity and an insight into the ways children make meanings out of small things while misunderstandin I had a really really hard time getting through this book。 I have started it multiple times over the years and not gotten anywhere with it。 It has a slow start， and now that I've read it， I feel that the beginning is problematic。 So why did I rate it 4 stars？ I'm not quite sure， but I think the story will stick with me。 There's a real heart to it， a moral center in a way， but also an emotional intensity and an insight into the ways children make meanings out of small things while misunderstanding the big things， how they are constantly trying to interpret the world around them， getting it wrong a lot of the time， and then trying to rectify things， to preserve things， to keep the people and things they love safe， to fix themselves and save themselves。 The way these beliefs and decisions can spin out of control is so tragic， building to ever more tragic and momentous events。Much about the writing—the reverse revelation of events， the repetition of certain phrases—was both interesting and problematic for me。 Its elegiac tone also made me want to avoid it at times because of my mood。 And the subject， the issue of caste， mainly， was so painful that I had to get up the gumption to finish it once I knew what was coming。 But the characters， and the fact that it was happening in an India of a certain time and place， kept drawing me back to it。 I am hoping to come back to this review with more insight once I've let it soak in a bit more。 。。。more

Dina ，

This was boring to me。 I can objectively say she’s a good writer。 But it just isn’t for me

Fradalla ，

Affascinante

Niki Jona ，

Holy wow， this was a really good read and beautiful writing。 The only thing I’d have to say is that the writing is completely disjointed， only by the end of the book was I truly able to piece together the events spanning two decades。 The organization makes very little sense and I had trouble figuring out what ages and at what time points each chapter was within。 I didn’t particularly enjoy being lost through most of the book but stylistically I can understand。 Very interesting plot line- charact Holy wow， this was a really good read and beautiful writing。 The only thing I’d have to say is that the writing is completely disjointed， only by the end of the book was I truly able to piece together the events spanning two decades。 The organization makes very little sense and I had trouble figuring out what ages and at what time points each chapter was within。 I didn’t particularly enjoy being lost through most of the book but stylistically I can understand。 Very interesting plot line- characters were extremely well developed。 I will have to re-read to perhaps catch nuances I didn’t catch without understanding the events chronologically。 。。。more

Alba ，

No se muy bien como puntuar este libro。 Contando con que lo dejé parado durante dos meses。 Y hoy leí la mitad restante。 Me gustó， una vez entendí todo， creo que lo tengo que releer。 Por ahora lo dejo en aprobado。

Sakshi Sharma ，

This book has been surrounded by many conspiracies， many people are against the book as it's hard to read and understand， the story has no point。 Yada yada。 I think I can address the main issue immediately， that being， I just couldn't follow what was written。 The plot was everywhere。 It didn't feel its smoothly written， the plot was detached which mostly lead to a great deal of confusion and irritation on my end。 There were lots of flashbacks， which made the present tense storyline disorientated This book has been surrounded by many conspiracies， many people are against the book as it's hard to read and understand， the story has no point。 Yada yada。 I think I can address the main issue immediately， that being， I just couldn't follow what was written。 The plot was everywhere。 It didn't feel its smoothly written， the plot was detached which mostly lead to a great deal of confusion and irritation on my end。 There were lots of flashbacks， which made the present tense storyline disorientated。 I found this book a little difficult to read， because it has a very rich literature。 Like you need an English teacher with you to make you understand the real meaning of every sentence。 There were SO many metaphors thrown in。 The concept was really beautiful， I hope the author had made it easy and pleasant to read because this is why we read a book right。 We want a beautiful writing。 We want to feel every sentence， which unfortunately I couldn’t do with this book。 I don’t think I will ever re-read this book because there are tons of 5 star rating books we can spend our time on。 。。。more

Alicia Sokolnicka ，

Fantastisk

Tanvi Shivgan ，

“Only that once again they broke the Love Laws。 That lay down who should be loved。 And how。 And how much。”Who decides whom to love？ Who decides how to love？ Who decides how much to love？ You？ Me？ Who？ To love one with laws is to love one with boundaries， limitations， hesitations and what not。 It's the same as living in a forest full of thorns， pebbles， stones; you somehow survive but you don't live to the fullest。 Although there are beautiful creatures， you don't see their beauty as you have bee “Only that once again they broke the Love Laws。 That lay down who should be loved。 And how。 And how much。”Who decides whom to love？ Who decides how to love？ Who decides how much to love？ You？ Me？ Who？ To love one with laws is to love one with boundaries， limitations， hesitations and what not。 It's the same as living in a forest full of thorns， pebbles， stones; you somehow survive but you don't live to the fullest。 Although there are beautiful creatures， you don't see their beauty as you have been blinded by loathing and grief。 It's time to break these love laws so that there won't be any event when the words "love" and "laws" will be used together as a single term。 Let people love whom they want to， how they want to and how much they want to。Written by Arundhati Roy which won the Booker prize， “The God of small things” was published in 1997 & became the bestseller。 And yes！ It does deserve all the hype because of its richness in making readers live in the era when casteism， communism， misogyny， Marxist environment were dominating the most， when love laws were made & broken， ignoring its consequences， to make it a religion where only love prevails。 🥺❤️Set in Kerala， it’s the story of Ipe family where two fraternal twins Estha & Rahel reunite again， haunted by the experience， which impacted their life。 The story swings back & forth， making its plot tangled， Roy weaves a beautiful yet melancholic novel around Estha， Rahel and Ammu （their mother） which leaves one flabbergasted。 😲Tbh， it’s not that simple novel to read because of its twisted plot。 I would say it’s a “To read between the lines” type novel where there are hidden things between lines & they unfold slowly as you read。 The best part of this book is its prose。 The way it’s written is extraordinary & makes you read again & again。 😭I have loved it a lot & will go back to it often。 It’s a must read for fiction lovers。 🌛 。。。more

Lorna Greaves ，

I was originally going to give this book 4 stars but the exceptional style of writing won me over and I can’t give it anything but 5 stars。 Whilst I struggled a little with some parts of the book， the intensity of the style of writing is such that it pulled me in so that I became part of the essence of the story itself。 Beautifully and poetically written which was extremely clever of the author considering the ghastly content of the story。 Great insight into the damage adults can do to the innoc I was originally going to give this book 4 stars but the exceptional style of writing won me over and I can’t give it anything but 5 stars。 Whilst I struggled a little with some parts of the book， the intensity of the style of writing is such that it pulled me in so that I became part of the essence of the story itself。 Beautifully and poetically written which was extremely clever of the author considering the ghastly content of the story。 Great insight into the damage adults can do to the innocent minds of children and how children perceive life and the struggles they have to put things into context。 The book also cleverly covers the dreadful caste system that still to this day exists。 A book to be re-read。 。。。more

Akshaya ，

There are books which you really love and there are books that are just okay for you and you don't feel much about it。 I feel both of these things with this book and it's confusing。The first half of the book was just a 3 star for me but the last half was a solid 4 because it made me feel things emotionally。 But at the sametime I have many issues with the book as well。 The writing style is good。 Its crafty and amazing but may be a little more like a complex textbook？ And some topics were discusse There are books which you really love and there are books that are just okay for you and you don't feel much about it。 I feel both of these things with this book and it's confusing。The first half of the book was just a 3 star for me but the last half was a solid 4 because it made me feel things emotionally。 But at the sametime I have many issues with the book as well。 The writing style is good。 Its crafty and amazing but may be a little more like a complex textbook？ And some topics were discussed like four or five pages just to come up with one point that the author is trying to make。 And that made me feel bored。Overall it was a good experience ， not gonna lie but also it's not my favorite book。 Also I saw many mixed reviews for this one and I can completely understand why。If you want to read this book， please dont do it in the audio format。 It will be too confusing because she uses Malayalam language in between so it's better to read it physically or in an e book format for better experience。 。。。more

Aditya Annavajjhala ，

Recently， I saw a movie named "Chavu kaburu Challaga" where the plot of the movie is regarding the second chances that we should have in life。 But the movie was set in most comical way。 I tried to think why such a excellent thought was said in a comical way as it might deflect the viewer from actual theme （which really happed with the movie）。But I was told that it is a technique in story telling where the actual theme that the director or writer wants us to understand is said using metophors & i Recently， I saw a movie named "Chavu kaburu Challaga" where the plot of the movie is regarding the second chances that we should have in life。 But the movie was set in most comical way。 I tried to think why such a excellent thought was said in a comical way as it might deflect the viewer from actual theme （which really happed with the movie）。But I was told that it is a technique in story telling where the actual theme that the director or writer wants us to understand is said using metophors & in a light weighing story。The similar concept is used by Arundhathi Roy for her book " The god of small things"。Estha & Rahel were two Fraternal twins who were separated during their early age of 7 years due to some unseen Suitations。 They meet after 27years。 What made them to go separate in their paths， what really happend when they were at the age of 7 is the main plot of novel。The Storyline is quite disturbing & can cause discomfort but the way of presentation made it more interesting & beautiful。 Apart from the story， Roy also describes the problems faced by the Oppressed class， the social discrimination， Misogyny and other issues that prevail in our society。 The real beauty of this book lies in the metophors used by Roy to describe the thoughts， Human nature of the characters 。 。。。more

Alias_illu ，

"People always love best what they identified most with"Disclaimer: I've been a huge fan of Arundhati Roy's political commentary and activism and it's difficult to stay neutral while reviewing this book。 I'll try my best。I have not read any of the other works by Roy， except for the political essays and pieces she writes regularly for the news publishers worldwide。That said， after finishing this book， I can vouch that i'm not just a wholehearted fan but a dedicated， bona fide， just-walk-over-me a "People always love best what they identified most with"Disclaimer: I've been a huge fan of Arundhati Roy's political commentary and activism and it's difficult to stay neutral while reviewing this book。 I'll try my best。I have not read any of the other works by Roy， except for the political essays and pieces she writes regularly for the news publishers worldwide。That said， after finishing this book， I can vouch that i'm not just a wholehearted fan but a dedicated， bona fide， just-walk-over-me admirer of her style of writing。I remember that while reading the book， I pictured Roy meticulously assembling together precious stones like diamonds， rubies and pearls， all coming together flawlessly to form a magnificent crown called 'The God of Small Things' and rightly worn by her。 Anything less than that is an understatement。 She's the rightful owner of the crown and recipient of the Booker prize， 1997。She takes you on a literary ride。 Sentences and paragraph form a perfect picture， blending in each detail to the exact amount， be it visual， olfactory or the touch of it。 There are phrases that astonish you greatly by their meaning， power， brilliance and poise。 Some have stayed with me and always will。"There are things you cant do - like write letters to a part of yourself。 To your feet and hair。 Or heart" - Captures the pain of not not being able to express yourself to your own people。"And that once again they broke the love laws。 That lay down who should be loved。 And how。 And how much" - Leaves a huge question mark， as to who makes the love rules？"That's what careless words do， they make you love a little less" - This personally hits home。The book touches a bunch of social and political issues and is enough to keep a wide array of readers indulged。 A number of unconventional yet important questions are asked along the way， which the readers persue to answer。 The search for these answers continues untill the last paragraph which bleeds of love and beauty and sorrow， to which you close the book and start the quest of making your own love rules。I rate it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Onto the next， The Ministry of Utmost Happiness。 。。。more

Marisol Barrera ，

Not a typical front， middle， and end book。 Needed lots of concentration to keep up with characters story lines。 Other than that a nice story。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The God of Small Things

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The God of Small Things&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The God of Small Things&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0