The God of Small Things

Spoiler Alert first, I'm not a avid reader (well, not a careful one for sure) and I've never written a book review before (school assignments don't count!) and so this ain't one.

The God of Small Things

As the title itself suggests, this book demonstrates how small things can have multiple major consequences in life. This is a phenomenal, heart-rending yet lyrical and mysterious tale of misunderstanding and pain echoing through the years written by Arundhati Roy. This is a story of how things fall apart and prosperous family ruin; but many things in between.

The story begins with the funeral of young Sophie Mol, the cousin of the novel's protagonists, Rahel and her fraternal twin brother, Estha. It is set in Ayemenem, Kerala in between the intervals of 1969 (when the twins were seven years old) and 23 years after when they returned family home. In the suspenseful narrative, Roy reveals the family tensions that led to the twins' behavior on the fateful night that Sophie drowned and alongside, sheds light on the deep rooted prejudices around.

The narrative switches periods time and again while the story unfolds and things start being clearer. Against the backdrop of family tragedy there stand stories of local politics, plight of accused Naxalites, social taboos and the tide of history which cumulatively results and a family is irreparably shattered. Unexpected things happen when Ammu falls in love with Velutha, the untouchable factory worker or when Estha is molested outside the theatre or later when theses twins sleep together after their union.

There are violent relationships, broken relationships and unrequited love, but it is, of course, the children who suffer most. The children's candid observations clouded by the adults' complex emotional lives- plangent with sad wisdom is well captured. The hypocrisy about the power relations, different level of sexual freedom permitted for men and women and the harshness of the rural family code for women are displayed. (even Oedipus Complex)

Caste, communism, Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", "The Sound of Music", whom to love (and how), and insects (especially moths) are common threads. The plot moves around space and time with masterful ease and one can't help but experience a vague sense of foreboding, a prickly fear in the back of your neck.

I liked the non-linear storytelling and I find that that's true to life in many ways. Remembrances often aren't linear, and with each chapter more of the mystery is revealed and I find that to be an interesting metaphor in our own lives. The short sentences made me thinking at all directions despite their lengths.

In my opinion, the story is not just about “some godforsaken tribe” but about love and cruelty, time and disintegration. It is frightening, beautiful, unrelenting. With narrative of many layers and a dazzling style of prose it demonstrates about how the Really Big Things often seep into the Small Things, like tea from a teabag.