"And the air was full of thoughts and things to say.But at times like these,only the small things are ever said.Big things lurk unsaid inside"
The God of Small Things By Arundhati Roy is one of the Indian Novels Which stays with you forever in a strange way.The characters and the storyline are so immense and unusual that one will definitely want to know more and more with each page.
So, the story is set in 1990's in small town of Ayemenem in kerala,India and basically revolves around the lives of twins Rahel(girl) and Esthappan(boy) who reunite with each other after so many years since their childhood after being separated and they still hold the memories of their dark past along with their mother who they call Ammu.Ammu's comes back to their native town Ayemenem after leaving her prude husband and falls in love with velutha who belongs to a low caste and just as the previous one, her love story is doomed yet again by the societal norms.
But the lives of the twins completely change after the death of their English cousin Sophie Mol.
I love how Pretty much every indian issues are covered in the book such as Indian politics and post British rule tensions, caste system , forbidden love mostly because of different caste or class, social discrimination because of it,Betrayal too remains a repeated element in the storyline and lastly the condition of women at the time clearly shows how misogynistic and patriarchal our society was.
Although,the story was set in 90's India depicting the problems of that time,but sadly, those problems remain rooted even today.
This book got a booker prize back in 1997 and was a huge hit not just in India but in foreign as well and it clearly deserves all the fame it got.
I read this masterpiece 1 year ago after getting so much requests and i never knew this story will always remain with me in a unsual way.The most suitable word i could find for the book was 'TRAGIC' and the ending explains it.It depicts how the laws of love or relationships can be changed so easily when one can't find the true meaning or motive behind a particular relationship.
The book also explores the post-colonial complex and attitude of many people about the former british culture.The mentioning of British Raj dominated most of the Indian books back in 20th century and somewhat even today.
The only problem i faced while reading this was a bit if confusing chronological sequences sometimes as it contained flashbacks and sidetracks.
Indian authors like Arundhati Roy needs to be appreciated every now and then for covering these kind of topics which are sadly, relevant nowadays too.
Overall i totally liked the book and surely recommend you to pick this one up.
MY RATING-4.5/5
Happy reading :)
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