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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the prose was really well written, I always had a strong sense of both character and setting, although some descriptions I found slightly repetitive at times (I think this is because I binge read the book, and wouldn’t be an issue reading it at a normal pace). I thought the exploration of trauma and intersectional issues was really well done and interesting (race, class, gender, politics, caste). I also thought the characters felt incredibly real to me. It’s a very slow book and for this reason I wish it had kept its hand a little bit longer than it did, as I think keeping the mystery element just a little bit longer would have helped build intrigue just a touch bit more. Despite this book jumping in time, I didn’t find it confusing. It gave me slightly similar energy to a Hundred Years of Solitude (following a family, generational trauma and eventual decline) and perhaps the very beginning of Atonement. A deeply sad anti-caste, anti-police read.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
I've never read anything quite at all like this.
Arundhati Roy's exploration of the inter woven nature of generational trauma and grief of casteism, of patriarchy, neoliberalism, region specific but universal clashes between communism and capitalism, ever present cultural imperialism and western supremacy, colonial history, of the love laws and how entrenched in our unjust society they are while being deeply nuanced and laugh out loud funny at times is awe inspiring. i love her wordplay as i do the narrative structure.
the non linear timelines were a struggle to place at first but very quickly they felt seamless to the point that it was imperative the story be unfolded in the exact way.
and oh the characters! the way she breathed life into them! the way they jumped off the pages with their idiosyncrasies and distinct voices! although yes it was purely atrocious to read and hear from some but there was no dull moment to speak of.
the thing about taking nearly two months to read a book so rich, i found, means you have much the time to learn. re-learn. revise. i feel like i grew with the book (like is said).
perhaps I genuinely havent had exposure to varied voices, consequently to that, her storytelling moved me to tears of possibilities and of grief in our existence. even then, perhaps she is just that good
Arundhati Roy's exploration of the inter woven nature of generational trauma and grief of casteism, of patriarchy, neoliberalism, region specific but universal clashes between communism and capitalism, ever present cultural imperialism and western supremacy, colonial history, of the love laws and how entrenched in our unjust society they are while being deeply nuanced and laugh out loud funny at times is awe inspiring. i love her wordplay as i do the narrative structure.
the non linear timelines were a struggle to place at first but very quickly they felt seamless to the point that it was imperative the story be unfolded in the exact way.
and oh the characters! the way she breathed life into them! the way they jumped off the pages with their idiosyncrasies and distinct voices! although yes it was purely atrocious to read and hear from some but there was no dull moment to speak of.
the thing about taking nearly two months to read a book so rich, i found, means you have much the time to learn. re-learn. revise. i feel like i grew with the book (like is said).
perhaps I genuinely havent had exposure to varied voices, consequently to that, her storytelling moved me to tears of possibilities and of grief in our existence. even then, perhaps she is just that good
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautiful writing. Gives perspective on classism and sexism in India.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this, and I certainly appreciated being drawn into lives shaped by expectations and experiences very different from my own, but I found the inexorable progression towards a foreshadowed tragic conclusion made it quite hard to keep reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Police brutality