If you're happy in a dream, does that count?
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS
A Stirring Masterpiece of Memory, Love, and Loss
Arundhati Roy
"D’you know what happens when you hurt people?" Ammu said. "When you hurt people, they begin to love you less. That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less."
These hauntingly beautiful lines from Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things echo the emotional undercurrents that define the story — raw, unflinching, and heartbreakingly human.
Set in Ayemenem, a village in Kottayam, Kerala, the novel intricately weaves the fragmented lives of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel. Branded the "two-egg twins," their seemingly innocent world begins to unravel with the arrival of their beloved Anglo-Indian cousin, Sophie Mol — "the Sophie Mol who smells of cologne, whom everyone adores, even Ammu, their mother." But beneath the surface of familial affection and cultural pride lies the unyielding grip of societal norms — the so-called Love Laws, as Roy puts it: "The laws that lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much."
This is not a story that follows a traditional arc. It’s nonlinear, scattered like the memories it portrays — dipping in and out of time, emotion, and trauma. It doesn’t offer comfort. Instead, it challenges, disturbs, and awakens. The novel captures the painful nuances of love, loss, caste, and childhood with an intensity that stuns the reader into reflection.
Roy’s prose is poetic and visceral — she paints not with broad strokes, but with the tiniest details. The characters are deeply flawed and achingly real. Hate, tenderness, jealousy, rage, innocence, and longing — every human emotion is magnified with unnerving clarity.
The God of Small Things is not a light read. It’s a book that demands emotional maturity. If you’re already sad, it may sadden you further; if you’re content, it might just peel back your layers and reveal the sorrow beneath. But what it guarantees is a journey — one that will stay with you long after the last page.
Best read with a steady heart, and an open mind.
Happy reading!
"D’you know what happens when you hurt people?" Ammu said. "When you hurt people, they begin to love you less. That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less."
These hauntingly beautiful lines from Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize-winning novel The God of Small Things echo the emotional undercurrents that define the story — raw, unflinching, and heartbreakingly human.
Set in Ayemenem, a village in Kottayam, Kerala, the novel intricately weaves the fragmented lives of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel. Branded the "two-egg twins," their seemingly innocent world begins to unravel with the arrival of their beloved Anglo-Indian cousin, Sophie Mol — "the Sophie Mol who smells of cologne, whom everyone adores, even Ammu, their mother." But beneath the surface of familial affection and cultural pride lies the unyielding grip of societal norms — the so-called Love Laws, as Roy puts it: "The laws that lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much."
This is not a story that follows a traditional arc. It’s nonlinear, scattered like the memories it portrays — dipping in and out of time, emotion, and trauma. It doesn’t offer comfort. Instead, it challenges, disturbs, and awakens. The novel captures the painful nuances of love, loss, caste, and childhood with an intensity that stuns the reader into reflection.
Roy’s prose is poetic and visceral — she paints not with broad strokes, but with the tiniest details. The characters are deeply flawed and achingly real. Hate, tenderness, jealousy, rage, innocence, and longing — every human emotion is magnified with unnerving clarity.
The God of Small Things is not a light read. It’s a book that demands emotional maturity. If you’re already sad, it may sadden you further; if you’re content, it might just peel back your layers and reveal the sorrow beneath. But what it guarantees is a journey — one that will stay with you long after the last page.
Best read with a steady heart, and an open mind.
Happy reading!
👍
ReplyDeleteNice Review........
ReplyDelete👍
ReplyDeleteExcellent review. You nailed it .
ReplyDeleteIt is a very nice review👏🏻👏🏻
ReplyDelete