The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Booker Prize winner ‘God of Small Things’ is a story about two children, Esthappen and Rahel. This was Arundhati Roy’s debut novel, in which she throws light on certain facets of life in Kerala, highlighting issues of caste system, Keralite Syrian Christian lifestyle and communism. Esthappen and Rahel at a very young age come to learn about horrifying truth of life, as they are being tortured and blamed for every misfortune. Their less than perfect life gets infected by unexpected events. Though the novel begins with Esthappen and Rahel, most of its part holds wider stories of the political events shaping the state, their parents and relatives. The darker undertones in the life of twins get more evident, as secrets, bitterness and lies destroy their world. The heat-aching story of two innocent young children will surely keep you hooked till the end and leave you searching for more.

Why should you read ‘God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy

Review

A novel of real ambition must invest in its own language, and this one does — John Updike, New Yorker

The joy of The God of Small Things is that it appeals equally to the head and the heart. It is clever and complex, yet it also makes one laugh, and finally, moves one to tears . . . Roy writes [with] a fecund, teeming visuality that is entirely her own. A masterpiece, utterly exceptional. — William Dalrymple, Harpers and Queen

Richly deserving the rapturous praise it has received on both sides of the Atlantic . . . The God of Small Things achieves genuine tragic resonance. It is indeed a masterpiece, Observer

It is rare to find a book that so effectively cuts through the clothes of nationality, caste and religion to reveal the bare bones of humanity. A sensational novel, Daily Telegraph

A banquet for all the senses we bring to reading, Newsweek

A sad story, told very hilariously, very tenderly and very craftily, Pioneer

A compelling story which somehow marries the deepest, smallest personal emotions with an epic narrative, Sunday Express

About the Author

Arundhati Roy is the author of The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize in 1997. Two volumes of her non-fiction writing, The Algebra of Infinite Justice and An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire, were published in 2001 and 2005 respectively. The Shape of the Beast, a collection of her interviews, was published in 2008. Arundhati Roy lives in New Delhi.