The God of Small Things By Arundhati Roy

 

The God of Small Things

By Arundhati Roy

The novel takes place in two period's of Rahel's life in India with several generations of her family and her twin brother, Estha. As an adult she has returned to see her brother and she starts to recall the visit of their young cousin, Sophie, when they were little and the tragedy that took place then.

There are several references to the Communist movement in the past storyline, as well as political unrest, and the social politics between the classes. There is quite a bit of discussion also surrounding gender inequalities, colonialism, and religion. The twins' mother Ammu is single and taking care of her children with her extended family members surrounded by the issues. Sophie is Ammu's niece, her brother Chacho being divorced from Sophie's mother.

The book is told through the eyes of the children, who are not so concerned with the big issues of the day, but with the small things that happen in their lives. The adults are often portrayed as broken and coming apart, especially Ammu. The children constantly attend to her and Rahel, specifically, worries about her mother's love for her. Terrible things happen in the story involving child molestation and wrongful deaths.

The novel moves backward and forward in time, giving the reader hints of what is to come, but never telling the full story all at once. But as it progresses, the story becomes deliciously layered. The writing is magical and mysterious, viewed from the eyes of the children who were full of life and character. In fact. all of the characters were compelling, even sometimes Dickensian, but not to a fault. It is a quiet book that discusses big themes in small ways. I thought it was beautiful.

I give The God of Small Things 4 stars.