The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
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- Create Date：2021-06-01 11:55:27
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Arundhati Roy
- ISBN：0241980763
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Summary
'At magic hour， when the sun has gone but the light has not， armies of flying foxes unhinge themselves from the Banyan trees in the old graveyard and drift across the city like smoke 。 。 。'
So begins The Ministry of Utmost Happiness， Arundhati Roy's incredible follow-up to The God of Small Things。 We meet Anjum， who used to be Aftab， who runs a guest house in an Old Delhi graveyard and gathers around her the lost， the broken and the cast out。 We meet Tilo， an architect， who， although she is loved by three men， lives in a 'country of her own skin'。 When Tilo claims an abandoned baby as her own， her destiny and that of Anjum become entangled as a tale that sweeps across the years and a teeming continent takes flight 。 。 。
So begins The Ministry of Utmost Happiness， Arundhati Roy's incredible follow-up to The God of Small Things。 We meet Anjum， who used to be Aftab， who runs a guest house in an Old Delhi graveyard and gathers around her the lost， the broken and the cast out。 We meet Tilo， an architect， who， although she is loved by three men， lives in a 'country of her own skin'。 When Tilo claims an abandoned baby as her own， her destiny and that of Anjum become entangled as a tale that sweeps across the years and a teeming continent takes flight 。 。 。
Reviews
Maittri
，
I understand the criticism the book gets regarding a surplus of topics in one book but I feel that's just a part of being Indian。 There's layers and layers of context to each one of the characters。 You can tell Arundhati Roy is passionate about these stories and the issues。 The criticism of political bias is purely a matter of personal preference since this is a book of fiction。The language is gorgeous as to be expected from the author。 The characters are vibrant but sometimes didn't manage to c I understand the criticism the book gets regarding a surplus of topics in one book but I feel that's just a part of being Indian。 There's layers and layers of context to each one of the characters。 You can tell Arundhati Roy is passionate about these stories and the issues。 The criticism of political bias is purely a matter of personal preference since this is a book of fiction。The language is gorgeous as to be expected from the author。 The characters are vibrant but sometimes didn't manage to come off the page。This will definitely be a book I revisit for its lyrical language。 。。。more
Agni Guha
，
Personal is political。 Arundhati Roy is one of those few writers who turns this phrase into a story， actually many stories， disjointed yet complete。 Here she weaves together stories of broken people and broken lands。 A journey through some of modern India's most harrowing realities。 From old Delhi to Kashmir， from Kerala to Bastar。 The story follows some uniquely eccentric characters from those corners of our society that we often tend to overlook。 This is an audaciously beautiful book。 A must r Personal is political。 Arundhati Roy is one of those few writers who turns this phrase into a story， actually many stories， disjointed yet complete。 Here she weaves together stories of broken people and broken lands。 A journey through some of modern India's most harrowing realities。 From old Delhi to Kashmir， from Kerala to Bastar。 The story follows some uniquely eccentric characters from those corners of our society that we often tend to overlook。 This is an audaciously beautiful book。 A must read。 。。。more
Preeti
，
Something magical this book exhibits。 The kind of sensitivity with which each and every rapture of our society has been shown is commendable。
Ajay M
，
Really good。Especially like how she covered the recent things happening in the country
Varun Patel
，
It should be a crime to hold a writer to the standards of their best work and compare every other piece of fiction by them to those levels。 Yet， when it comes to 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness，' I couldn't help getting （over-）excited and expect a novel as spellbinding as Arundhati Roy's 'The God of Small Things。' I learned the hard way that this one was going to be a different kind of story。 In fact， apart from the opening chapter， 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' doesn't feel like it is wr It should be a crime to hold a writer to the standards of their best work and compare every other piece of fiction by them to those levels。 Yet， when it comes to 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness，' I couldn't help getting （over-）excited and expect a novel as spellbinding as Arundhati Roy's 'The God of Small Things。' I learned the hard way that this one was going to be a different kind of story。 In fact， apart from the opening chapter， 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' doesn't feel like it is written by the same author。 While 'The God of Small Things' comes from a place of tenderness and love， 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' comes from a rather bleak one。 As The New Yorker points out， "Roy returns to fiction， in fury。" Unfortunately， Roy seems to trade away heartfelt emotions in favour of a slightly political take。 This book boasts of a sprawling story that takes one on a trip from Old Delhi's mohallas to a war-torn Kashmir。 It is an epic， in terms of the sheer number of characters that enter and exit: a blind imam， a duped security guard， prostitutes， abandoned children， Maoists and more。 The two main protagonists are Anjum， an intersex hijra and Tilo， a headstrong woman who right-wingers would call anti-national in a second。 In essence， 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' can be described as an inclusive tale of characters who fall out of the privileged， majority: people that get trampled by the populist， ultra-nationalist train of 21st century India。 Firstly， the amount of research carried out by Roy is commendable。 She fishes out effective Urdu poetry from time to time and tiny nuggets of interesting information that complements the setting well。 Her descriptions of setting are some of the best there are。 In fact， I don't think I have read a better， humanitarian， and neutral take on Kashmir。 Roy's Kashmir is populated by people from all the "sides" and manages to nail the chaotic， violent state of the territory with its many actors。 Apart from that， there are some instances of political， and general wisdom that one can only expect from a gifted observer/artist。 The opening chapter of the novel is one of the finest pieces of prose that one might read。 However， that also leads to disappointment since Roy drops the surrealistic， literary tone of the opening chapter as soon as it （the first chapter） ends。 Apart from that， there is another Chekhov's gun that does not fire。。。。throughout the novel， Roy teases the election of "Gujrat ka Lalla" or Narendra Modi。 Such instances made me expect a moment in the story that would revolve around an incident in post-Modi India。 However， no such moment arrives。 There is just a small section that describes his election victory。 Speaking of Modi， the story （mostly Anjum's arc） takes place with the backdrop of Islamophobic events in the country。 However， at times， this does feel forced。 For instance， I knew Anjum was going to be affected by the 2002 riots as soon as Ahmedabad was mentioned。 Yet， Roy's description of the 2002 riots is one of the most harrowing ones that I have read。 Given the current political climate， I would say that Roy is brave to include such instances in her story and such depictions should （hopefully） inspire other pieces of art to tackle such topics more openly。 However， while Roy's political intentions are certainly in the right place， the characters in 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' feel like placeholders/caricatures at time。 Roy certainly tries to humanize them。。。but somehow， that just does not happen。 For instance， many-a-times， Anjum's story feels like trauma porn。 The story certainly made me feel sorry for her。 But it did not make me root for her。 The only identity/characteristic that Anjum had was that she was intersex and a hijra。。。she hardly showed fully-developed personal desires， ambitions and fears。。。things that make one more empathetic with characters。 The same can be said for Tilo。。。。the only characteristic/identity she had was that she was questioning/rebellious。。。there was not much that Tilo aspired for and hence。。。there wasn't much that made me want to continue rooting for her。 Sure， Roy does try to add tiny nuances and behaviours that her characters have。。。but for some reason， they don't make these characters human。To conclude， 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' handsomely makes a political point。。。。but does not manage to make one feel for its characters。 Hence， on more than one occasion， I was tempted to discontinue reading the novel， not caring what happens to anybody in the story。 。。。more
Linda B。
，
my buddy's friend makes $96 hourly on the internet。 She has been with out artwork for five months however final month her charge emerge as $12747 really on foot on the internet for some hours。 study greater on this net internet site。。。。。。。www。ecash6。com my buddy's friend makes $96 hourly on the internet。 She has been with out artwork for five months however final month her charge emerge as $12747 really on foot on the internet for some hours。 study greater on this net internet site。。。。。。。www。ecash6。com 。。。more
Jan-Maat
，
A house divided against itself cannot stand， we are told， yet it is surprising how long they do， inertia maybe - the old world has died and the new one waits to be born， or something like that。I felt that this was a nineteenth century novel that had rather improbably emerged into the the light of the 21st century， it is passionate and engaged， but also is sprawling and determined to pack everything in， the multiplicity of voices reminded me of Dostoevsky as understood by Bakhtin; and one way to A house divided against itself cannot stand， we are told， yet it is surprising how long they do， inertia maybe - the old world has died and the new one waits to be born， or something like that。I felt that this was a nineteenth century novel that had rather improbably emerged into the the light of the 21st century， it is passionate and engaged， but also is sprawling and determined to pack everything in， the multiplicity of voices reminded me of Dostoevsky as understood by Bakhtin; and one way to see this book is as a carnival of its characters。Two central symbols determine the book， firstly the hermaphrodite character is told in childhood by an adult Hirja that they are people who can never be happy。 Their bodies wage war on themselves。 Problems for other people are external， they may flare up， but then they die down; for the Hirja however "the price rise & school admissions & beating husbands & cheating wives are all inside is。 The riot is inside us。 The war is inside us。 Indo-Pak is inside us。 It will never settle down。 It can't。" （p。23）The figure of the Hirja for Roy is the central symbol， they symbolise modern India， a state at war with itself because of its nature， a struggle which by analogy can never be resolved （ except either by death or radical transformation）。 And the rest of the novel follows on from this analogy。In passing I'll observe that Roy throughout the novel foregrounds the experiences of those whose voices are not heard or when they are heard - as in the case of the Hirja - only through stereotypical narratives which deny each individual's own stories。The second great symbol is the optimistic one of the old graveyard （view spoiler）[ and the symbolic mingling here of life and death， exclusion and inclusion， the graveyard eventually becoming a community hub and a refuge not just for people but also for birds and beasts is just the kind of topsy turvy situation that Bakhtin loved to discuss in Rabelais and His World （hide spoiler）]which here becomes the place where the minorities of the current world can find safety， and together can become a found family whose mutual support suggests the hope of a new society， maybe even a new India。 "Each of the listeners recognized， in their separate ways， something of themselves & their own stories， their own Indo-Pak， in the story of this unknown， faraway woman who was no longer alive。 It made them close ranks around Miss Jebeen the Second like a formation of trees， or adult elephants - an impenetrable fortress in which she， unlike her biological mother， would grow up protected & loved。" （P。426）What I like about this is that Roy compared with the God of small things seems to be finally letting her hair down， but as you might expect， when somebody lets their hair down the result is not neat and tidy and disciplined。On the one hand the particulars of Roy's stories seem very India specific， on the other one can see that systemic prejudice and or oppression， surveillance and intractable internal military conflicts are hardly unique， nor not even so unusual。 。。。more
Prasadini
，
I liked the first half of the book better than the second， but it could be my own shortcoming and inability to absorb a complex narrative。 Maybe the fact that the author lays bare stark realities led to some reading fatigue。 But for the most part， the book had me captivated。 Her prose is so alive， clever and insightful。 An artist weaving rich storytelling with social commentary。 Also learnt many new words including ‘verisimilitude’。
Vishank
，
A historical fiction telling stories of different religious， political and social conflicts through memoirs of a few characters， and how their stories intertwined while they try to answer some questions or find happiness in all the chaos。 A good glimpse on contemporary Indian history told in an emotional and at times horrifying way。
Dhiraj Tandel
，
I was not surprised when I was reading about the violence happening in Kashmir。 Being a citizen of the second most populous country in the world， killings in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an everyday affair。 Common people are turned into militants for some reason。 Armies respond。 And this is how they die。 What more could be done is to keep on protecting the state at any cost。 Rest assured， Chivalry is not dead。
Mel
，
Through Anjum， who used to be Aftab， and the enigmatic Tilo， we travel through Old Delhi and Kashmir and through love and loss。I’m honestly not sure how to describe this book other than sweeping。 Between the Hijra community， the forgotten and ignored of Old Delhi and the atrocities in Kashmir， it covers a lot of ground。 Roy has so much of importance to say， but I found the book really hard work - it took me about 200 pages to get into it， but I was never quite fully gripped and got a bit lost to Through Anjum， who used to be Aftab， and the enigmatic Tilo， we travel through Old Delhi and Kashmir and through love and loss。I’m honestly not sure how to describe this book other than sweeping。 Between the Hijra community， the forgotten and ignored of Old Delhi and the atrocities in Kashmir， it covers a lot of ground。 Roy has so much of importance to say， but I found the book really hard work - it took me about 200 pages to get into it， but I was never quite fully gripped and got a bit lost towards the end。 Roy is clearly not writing for a Western audience （this is not a criticism - why should she？）， and I lacked the familiarity with Indian culture， society and politics that would have unlocked the many layers to this book that I could feel were there but couldn’t fully grasp （which reflects on me rather than the book）。 I found the parts around Kashmir the most interesting， perhaps because Roy is so brutal in her criticism and perhaps because they were less meandering than Anjum’s story， which was also fascinating but at times felt directionless。 The main characters all had depth， nuance and quirks， which I loved。 A sweeping novel， covering many issues critically， and best enjoyed with at least some understanding of Indian culture， society and politics。 。。。more
Aava
，
i personally didnt like it; it was hard to keep up with
Jayatri Bhttacharjee
，
A bad sequel to a brilliant book！ I really wanted to like it， but the connection just wasn't there！！ If anyone wants to read this book， dont。 you'd be better off it！ A bad sequel to a brilliant book！ I really wanted to like it， but the connection just wasn't there！！ If anyone wants to read this book， dont。 you'd be better off it！ 。。。more
Fire
，
What a strange read。 The God of Small Things is one of my favorite books， so admittedly I went into The Ministry of Utmost Happiness with high expectations and was bound to be disappointed。 Somehow， so many of the aspects that work in the former， and in fact are what make it so impactful， are what made this novel a massive disappointment for me。 Constantly jumping between time， place， and character worked elegantly in The God of Small Things， but never coalesced here。 The Ministry of Utmost Happ What a strange read。 The God of Small Things is one of my favorite books， so admittedly I went into The Ministry of Utmost Happiness with high expectations and was bound to be disappointed。 Somehow， so many of the aspects that work in the former， and in fact are what make it so impactful， are what made this novel a massive disappointment for me。 Constantly jumping between time， place， and character worked elegantly in The God of Small Things， but never coalesced here。 The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a long book with no semblance of a plot。 If it were character-driven instead， that would be fine， but that isn't the case either。 With such a large cast， we couldn't spend enough time with them to flesh out their characters， so I didn't care about them。 Sadly， the narrative was difficult to follow， dissonant， and at times disengaging。 Perhaps the sole intent was to share vignettes that explore identity， sociopolitics， and the human side of real events in contemporary Indian society。 If so， I would have gotten more out of a short story collection or a novel with a simpler， more cohesive narrative。 Ultimately， I still love Roy's writing - that is， the actual sentences she crafts - but I wouldn't recommend The Ministry of Utmost Happiness to anyone。 I'd suggest finding another book on the topic。 。。。more
Desarae
，
I picked this up to read and didn't get very far before absolutely knowing it wasn't worth continuing， which admittedly， I feel disqualifies me from leaving a review， BUT here I am。 Don't waste your time。 I could tell from just the bit I read that this is one of those rambling books of the depressing， convoluted sort that talks about everything in the universe with high， poetic language， and yet gets you nowhere and covers nothing。 I picked this up to read and didn't get very far before absolutely knowing it wasn't worth continuing， which admittedly， I feel disqualifies me from leaving a review， BUT here I am。 Don't waste your time。 I could tell from just the bit I read that this is one of those rambling books of the depressing， convoluted sort that talks about everything in the universe with high， poetic language， and yet gets you nowhere and covers nothing。 。。。more
Shalufar
，
My reading phase: Don't bother about plots。 It was nothing like I had expected but surprisingly， it didn't bore me。 If you remove that fiction narrative it can easily be turned into political essays/factual account （not many are gonna like it :x）Rating: Not sure how to rate this one。 My reading phase: Don't bother about plots。 It was nothing like I had expected but surprisingly， it didn't bore me。 If you remove that fiction narrative it can easily be turned into political essays/factual account （not many are gonna like it :x）Rating: Not sure how to rate this one。 。。。more
sam
，
Not as good as The God Of Small Things， if you’re wondering。 It’s good， but some parts are dense and boring and make you want to skip。 There are some parts which fill you with joy while some which just make you want to put the book down and be done with it。
Charlotte
，
3。5*This novel provides a powerful insight into the socio-political turmoil of contemporary India。 Roy's work as a socio-political activist over recent decades shines through this novel， giving it a richness and intimacy that enhances the larger and more subtle messages and themes this novel conveys。An ode to India， its people and its potential。In addition to this， Roy is a masterful writer in her own right， using a range of devices I've never seen used before in fiction。However， I do sometimes 3。5*This novel provides a powerful insight into the socio-political turmoil of contemporary India。 Roy's work as a socio-political activist over recent decades shines through this novel， giving it a richness and intimacy that enhances the larger and more subtle messages and themes this novel conveys。An ode to India， its people and its potential。In addition to this， Roy is a masterful writer in her own right， using a range of devices I've never seen used before in fiction。However， I do sometimes feel like her writing goes over my head and I found the first half of this novel to be far more engaging than the second。 。。。more
Ane
，
Arundhati Roy is a brilliant writer。 And parts of this book are wonderful。 Everything about Anjum's story I read with great interest。 （Maybe except the frequent poetry quotes。） Then came a set of new characters， and I was lost in Tilo's ramblings。Roy is an activist， and in this book she showcases a lot of India's problems: corruption， environmental disasters， profit being valued more than people， political and religious extremism， and the atrocities in Kashmir。 All of this makes you feel hopeles Arundhati Roy is a brilliant writer。 And parts of this book are wonderful。 Everything about Anjum's story I read with great interest。 （Maybe except the frequent poetry quotes。） Then came a set of new characters， and I was lost in Tilo's ramblings。Roy is an activist， and in this book she showcases a lot of India's problems: corruption， environmental disasters， profit being valued more than people， political and religious extremism， and the atrocities in Kashmir。 All of this makes you feel hopeless。 Everything is horrible as long as people are selfish and think of their own potential gains in every situation， that much is clear。The chapters about Kashmir and about Tilo don't really have a clear story。 We get an understanding of the situation on the ground， but there's not really a personal conflict or development to make us read further。 I think that's also why the ending of the book was a bit meh。 I just didn't care about the characters anymore， there was nothing they were trying to achieve。All in all， the book is too long and I wouldn't recommend it。 。。。more
Mama Dodo
，
No connection formed to any of the characters in this book。 The flow of the stories for each character seemed disorganized。 Did not enjoy all references to political viewpoints included throughout this book。
Vera Sopa
，
Brutal！
Sasha Ambroz
，
Складно добирати слова， як і завжди з такими книгами-монстрами。 Я люблю такі речі: де розповідь переважає над сюжетом， де багато різних невеликих історій складаються в одну історію， де історії - це спосіб розказати історію。 Тут багато близького нам і з політичної， і з соціальної точки зору， на диво， не було складно читати шмати про бідність， бо вони не написані про бідність， вони про відсутність， незнання чи небажання вибору。 Глави про Кашмір， натомість， далися складніше， через безвихідь， беззмі Складно добирати слова， як і завжди з такими книгами-монстрами。 Я люблю такі речі: де розповідь переважає над сюжетом， де багато різних невеликих історій складаються в одну історію， де історії - це спосіб розказати історію。 Тут багато близького нам і з політичної， і з соціальної точки зору， на диво， не було складно читати шмати про бідність， бо вони не написані про бідність， вони про відсутність， незнання чи небажання вибору。 Глави про Кашмір， натомість， далися складніше， через безвихідь， беззмістовність та безкінечність конфлікту。Загалом же в мене враження， наче я подивилася виставу в дитячому ляльковому театрі。 Наївна віра людей в логіку певних процесів - це найболючіше в цій книжці。 Куди там палаючій шині на шиї чи бензину в анальний отвір。 。。。more
Forhad Juwain Sumon
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Arundhati Roy is an excellent writer as well as an activist。 However， this is only her second work of fiction。 here the story is set within a larger narrative about a transgender woman who builds a small village in a Delhi graveyard， seeking community and family on her way to motherhood， and whose inner struggle with dysphoria and acceptance symbolically reflects India's and Pakistan's political divide。I， for one， couldn't put it down。 I think I was 14 pages in when I decided it was a compelling Arundhati Roy is an excellent writer as well as an activist。 However， this is only her second work of fiction。 here the story is set within a larger narrative about a transgender woman who builds a small village in a Delhi graveyard， seeking community and family on her way to motherhood， and whose inner struggle with dysphoria and acceptance symbolically reflects India's and Pakistan's political divide。I， for one， couldn't put it down。 I think I was 14 pages in when I decided it was a compelling and intriguing novel， and 16 pages in when I accepted that Roy is a fantastic writer indeed。 For a book written by a cis woman， the main character's hardships and life resonated very deeply， which surprised me。 It was also a fascinating and beautiful look into the lives of other queer identities， experiences， and lived-experience from non-Western cultures。 However， the book is not without flaws。 The political and social implications of connecting the Indo-Pak war to the struggle of recognizing ourselves as our defined gender seem questionable， however it is an intriguing viewpoint。 The fact that the main character is both intersex and trans kinda put me off。 but I appreciate Roy's desire to "justify" her main character's trans status to a cis audience， but the fact is that very few of us have such straightforward psychological justifications for our queer identities。 We "are" a lot of the time， with no real way to describe it， in self denial。Nevertheless， despite its flaws， it is one my favourite books in a while， and i would not hesitate to reccomend it。 a good read indeed。 。。。more
Priyanka
，
Arundhati Roy is truly an excellent writer。 I will always admire the way she flows words into something magical; it always gives me a sense of satisfaction reading her works。 This book contains the individual stories of misfits and how they bind together。 But I am not sure how to review this book as I am not familiar with most of the Kashmiri politics mentioned in it。 I was hooked with the first part of the book， really amazing， really enticing。 However， when it got to the middle， I lost interes Arundhati Roy is truly an excellent writer。 I will always admire the way she flows words into something magical; it always gives me a sense of satisfaction reading her works。 This book contains the individual stories of misfits and how they bind together。 But I am not sure how to review this book as I am not familiar with most of the Kashmiri politics mentioned in it。 I was hooked with the first part of the book， really amazing， really enticing。 However， when it got to the middle， I lost interest because of all the politics mentioned that I couldn't wrap my head into。 Yet， everything connects towards the end， but I feel like Roy could have done more justice to the amazing characters by tying them up in a better way and not rushing things in the end。 。。。more
Molina
，
I can't exactly articulate why （yet？）， but I cried when I finished the final page I can't exactly articulate why （yet？）， but I cried when I finished the final page 。。。more
Hannah
，
This book， like i found with Roy's other novel The God Of Small Things， is complex with lots of interlinking characters and events。 This novel takes on Indian politics to a greater extent， including real life events and politicians。 I don't know a lot about Indian politics for the last 30 years and I found this book encouraged me to google a lot of this。 I have seen reviews complaining about this but I liked this rather than assuming the reader knows nothing， Roy shouldn't have to explain well-k This book， like i found with Roy's other novel The God Of Small Things， is complex with lots of interlinking characters and events。 This novel takes on Indian politics to a greater extent， including real life events and politicians。 I don't know a lot about Indian politics for the last 30 years and I found this book encouraged me to google a lot of this。 I have seen reviews complaining about this but I liked this rather than assuming the reader knows nothing， Roy shouldn't have to explain well-known Indian events just because she writes in English。 It took me a while to begin to understand how characters interconnected， and I found elements of this interconnection confusing as I forgot characters that appeared briefly 100 pages ago。Ultimately， although I enjoyed the themes of the novel I found it lacked much of the descriptive imagery and use of language that I enjoyed in her debut。 。。。more
Safeena
，
Thumps up
Tanishka Chadha
，
Being one of the best protest novels ever written， The Ministry of Utmost Happiness talks about war and death， power and control， the marginalized and the oppressors。 If you read it， you may come to notice that the plot lacks subtlety， and instead prefers to take the bull by its horns。The author has not written the book with purpose of indulging its audience in drama。 She pushes her readers to think and to realise the resistance movements embodied within and outside each character。 All the chara Being one of the best protest novels ever written， The Ministry of Utmost Happiness talks about war and death， power and control， the marginalized and the oppressors。 If you read it， you may come to notice that the plot lacks subtlety， and instead prefers to take the bull by its horns。The author has not written the book with purpose of indulging its audience in drama。 She pushes her readers to think and to realise the resistance movements embodied within and outside each character。 All the characters in the novel have varied lives and struggles， but somehow they intersect and fit together perfectly。 Roy depicts India as it is， a raucous community of beggars， nationalists， anti-nationalists， protestors， transgenders， kashmiris， oppressors， naxalites， dreamers， idlers， scammers。The novel is weaved around the people in our democracy， who watch the events go by from sidelines， the misfits。 It takes us through the story of Anjum， a woman trapped in a man's body， and Tilo （S。Tillotama）。 Tilo is one half of the couple that forms the love story that is braided into Anjum’s narrative。 The love story takes us 30 years back。 Three men fell in love with Tilo， while they were all working on a play production。 The four of them are as different as they could be， however their lives are intertwined in mysterious ways， which they would only get to know many years later。The most important part of the novel takes place in Kashmir。 It sheds light on the identity of individual people in Kashmir， their want of freedom， and the twisted tales of power toxicity and the dirty game of politics。All in all the book is a medley， a mehfil of distinct narratives。 I never thought that a single book could contain so much of everything。 It will make you feel joy， sadness， pain， but above all it will make you feel human。 。。。more
Shreyashree
，
This book is nothing like the only other book I read by Arundhati Roy， 'God of Small things'。 The plot mainly revolves around the life of a transwoman in and around partition， communalism， poverty on the streets of New Delhi and ostracization of the minorities like prostitues， transgender or those who do not abide by religious norms。 Although the narrative builds up strong in the first few pages as a small boy aspires to be a woman， it immediately plummets down soon after。 There are absolutely n This book is nothing like the only other book I read by Arundhati Roy， 'God of Small things'。 The plot mainly revolves around the life of a transwoman in and around partition， communalism， poverty on the streets of New Delhi and ostracization of the minorities like prostitues， transgender or those who do not abide by religious norms。 Although the narrative builds up strong in the first few pages as a small boy aspires to be a woman， it immediately plummets down soon after。 There are absolutely no traces of all the imageries， metaphors and flowy narrative that the reader experienced in 'God of Small Things' and that is quite disappointing。 In conclusion， this one is nothing like I expected and therefore， lost interest midway。 。。。more
Lidia
，