Who Would Like This Book:
Arundhati Roy's debut novel is a lush, poetic exploration of family, memory, and the lingering effects of love and loss set in the vivid landscape of Kerala, India. The nonlinear narrative and inventive language bring a child's perspective to some very adult realities, making the book both enchanting and unsettling. If you love beautifully crafted sentences, multi-layered characters, literary fiction that confronts big topics (like caste, politics, and social taboos) with emotional depth, and stories where structure is as important as plot, then this is a must-read. Fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, or Salman Rushdie will especially appreciate Roy's lyrical style and immersive storytelling.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers struggle with the novel's non-chronological timeline, which can feel disorienting, especially if you prefer straightforward storytelling. The heavy use of metaphor, playful language, and frequent time jumps may come off as overly ornate or even pretentious to those who favor minimalist or direct prose. The book also delves into difficult and, at times, dark themes (including trauma, forbidden love, and the hardships children face), which can be emotionally intense or triggering. Additionally, if you're looking for a fast-paced, plot-driven book, or if you get frustrated by ambiguity, this may not be the right fit for you.
About:
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is a dark and sad story set in 1969 in the southernmost tip of India, focusing on the lives of two innocent twins, Rahel and Esthappen, who are deeply affected by the adults around them. The novel explores themes of tragedy, family dynamics, societal expectations, and forbidden relationships, all woven together in a rich and complex narrative style that jumps around in time, place, and character.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for The God of Small Things include graphic depictions of child abuse, incest, domestic violence, and death.
Has Romance?
The novel features significant romantic themes, particularly relating to the forbidden love between Ammu and Velutha.
From The Publisher:
WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
An affluent Indian family is forever changed by one fateful day in 1969, from the author of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
"[The God of Small Things] offers such magic, mystery, and sadness that, literally, this reader turned the last page and decided to reread it. Immediately. It's that haunting."-USA Today
Compared favorably to the works of Faulkner and Dickens, Arundhati Roy's modern classic is equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama. The seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevocably by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. It is an event that will lead to an illicit liaison and tragedies accidental and intentional, exposing "big things [that] lurk unsaid" in a country drifting dangerously toward unrest.
Lush, lyrical, and unnerving, The God of Small Things is an award-winning landmark that started for its author an esteemed career of fiction and political commentary that continues unabated.
Ratings (146)
Incredible (21) | |
Loved It (52) | |
Liked It (32) | |
It Was OK (21) | |
Did Not Like (15) | |
Hated It (5) |
Reader Stats (393):
Read It (154) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (166) | |
Did Not Finish (8) | |
Not Interested (62) |
3 comment(s)
This was not the easiest book to read. The story and the structure both are difficult. It switches a lot between different points in time and it was not always clear to me when that happened. The writing is very lyrical, which I liked it some of the time, it really created an atmosphere. But sometimes I found it a bit annoying. The combination of the lyrical writing and the ending left me a bit like 'wait a minute... what..?!'
2,5 stars
Syrian christian families, family story
The plot itself was trivial (a boy drowns in a river), and it is told extremely poorly. Roy abuses foreshadowing, and she does not do it well
What can you read after
The God of Small Things?
About the Author:
Arundhati Roy is the author of The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize and has been translated into more than forty languages. She also has published several books of nonfiction including The End of Imagination, Capitalism: A…
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