The  God  Of  Small Things

Author: Arundhati Roy

Publisher:  Indian Ink, India

Pages: 339

Publication Date: 1997

ISBN: 0-06-097749-3

Price: 250

Rating: 4/5

I have heard people labeling Arundhati Roy as a ‘One-novel-wonder’. After reading her masterpiece ‘The God of Small Things’ I must admit one thing – that ‘this novel is a wonder’. Poignant, sharp and stylish write. Lines blended with the slight hint of sarcasm are like a dark shot against the feeble shields of hypocrisy, stupidity and orthodoxy. A must read.

Story

The God of Small Things as the name indicates tell the tale of how Small Things can influence Big Things, intoxicate them and completely change them.  The God Of Small Things cannot be assessed to have a protagonist or a central character, even if one can declare it as Estha and Rahel, but Roy’s magnificent work cease to reveolve around any one character, that it becomes the story of everyone- of Ammu,Estha,Rahel,Baby Kochamma,……. every one. And it is here that Arundhati Roy’s genius lies. The God Of Small Things becomes a book about every one, about everything pertaining to a particular era in Kerala , about caste system, politics, Christianity, love, despair,…everything. Apart from that The God Of Small Things is a magnificent make- where Roy’s genius turned a terrible tragedy in to a terrific tale.

The usage of Malayalam words throughout the work, especially during the exchanges between characters make the recipe more corpulent and spicy (well maybe its because I am a keralite and Malayalam is my mother tongue ;)) one can also see simple, yet catchy usages and comparisons such as “like tea from a teabag” (line about Christianity spreading in Kerala) and “as big as the belly of  a beer- drinking man”(end of chapter two “Pappachi’s Moth”)

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http://www.amazon.in/The-God-Small-Things-Arundhati/dp/0060977493