There are some books you read for entertainment, and then there are books that completely consume you from your core. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy belongs to the second category. It is not simply a book about family or tragedy, its a deeply layered exploration of love, memory, caste, childhood, trauma and social rules that destroy our lives. The book won the Booker Prize and after reading it, I understood exactly why.
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When I first began reading the book, I was immediately captivated by the opening lines. The description of the weather of Ayemenem was very vivid and lively. Roy has an incredible ability to make nature reflect emotions. The vocabulary is rich and elegant, yet never artifical. It feels natural, almost hypnotic, which makes the reading experience immersive for anyone who truly appreciate the language.
Another fact that must be appreciated is Roy's narrative structure. The transition between timelines and scenes are mind-blowing! Instead of telling a story straightforward, she allows the memories to unfold in fragments. At first, the style may seem confusing, but eventually it becomes one of the book's greatest strenghts. Reading it feels like entering the human mind itself--where memories, emotions and trauma constantly overlap. The story moves between past and present with such fluidity that every revelation feels devastating.
Set in Ayemenem, Kerala, the novel revolves around faternal twins Estha and Rachel, whose childhood is premanently changed by a series of tragic events surrounding the death of their English cousin Sophie Mol. However, beneath this lies a much larger reality. The book explores the "Love Laws"--the unspoken rule that society has created about who deserves love and who doesn't. Through this idea, Roy has exposed the brutal reality of caste discrimination, patriarchy, colonial influence, religious hypocrisy and social oppression in India.
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Characters
What affected me the most was the emotional intensity of the characters lives. Almost every character in the story carries some sufferings. Mammachi's (Shoshamma Ipe) life especially disturbed me initially. Despite her passion for pickle making, she is repeated humilitated and beaten by Pappachi (Benaan John Ipe), whose is a jelaous and egoistic man. The violence in their relationship isn't described dramatically but it shows that abuse is normalized in this family.
Baby Kochamma is another character who has fascinated me. At first, she appears manipulative and selfish (she is!), but the books slowly reveals the loneliness that shaped her persona. Her decision to comes a Roman Catholic because of her obssession with Father Mulligan shows the desperation of unfulfilled love. By the end, I realized something: even the oppressors in this story are people who were themselves emotionally trapped. This doesn't excuse their actions but it shows the character of a depressed human.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking part is the relationship between Ammu and Velutha. Their love violated the rules layed by the socity. Velutha, despite being kind and deeply compassionate is treated less than a human simply because he is "untouchable". The hatred directed towards him reveals how deeply caste discrimination is rooted in Indian society.
The death of Sophie Mol is the emotional centre. I realised that it wasn't just death that made the tragedy so powerful, it was the chain of guilt, silence and social prejudice that follow it. The family is potrayed Anglophile and the arrival of Sophie Mol from England was a cherry on top.
Conclusion
What makes God Of Small Things extraordinary is its ability to capture both beauty and brutaily at the same time. For teenagers, this book is a masterpiece worth experiencing.
By the time, I finished reading the novel, I realized that this book is not just a story about "small things". It's about the small moments, silent wounds, forgotten emotions and social rules that have shaped us all. It's heartbreaking but beautifully writte and this is the kind of book that stays with you after the final page.
