Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

6 reviews

saraaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Wow, this book was a lot. A lot of good, a lot-ish of bad. But surely a lot.
The first few chapters were great – the gentleness and simplicity with which Roy touched themes usually considered taboo or niche made for a comforting read. 
The story read like an ensemble of fables, and as such its characters are only briefly focused on, barely skimming the surface of their essence, touching only those traits of theirs that are relevant to the narrative. At the end of the second chapter, I grew fond of Anjum, but the narrator keeps such a distance that she feels in a way out of reach, visible only through binoculars that follow her as she moves her residence from place to place.
After a hundred pages focusing on her character and the people and places that make up her world, I really couldn't care less about the others at they came into frame quite abruptly. This could easily have been a two novels installments, as, though surely strictly interlinked, the two main stories fail to be seamlessly bound together. It felt like she couldn't decide which story to tell, which battle to fight in, so instead of making a collection of shorter stories, she tried very hard to fit everything into a single box, full to the brim, so that the reader ends up struggling to find anything at all. It was as if Roy was trying to fit as many of her opinions as she could into these pages, and then some more.
The men's voices fell particularly flat, like heroines' in a 1800s male novelist's work.

Both The Landlord chapters' first person narration split the novel in two, and Garson Hobart felt like an intruder in someone else's story. Perhaps both things were intentional, with Roy you can hardly ever know.

But all in all, I'm glad I read it – it's a heavily politicized book, with even heavier themes, so definitely not a light leisure read, but offers an important perspective nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Murder, Dementia, Deportation, Genocide, Classism, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, War, Kidnapping, Rape, Torture, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Confinement, Deadnaming, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

Minor: Stalking, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Misogyny

fuckcarsridebikes's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Transphobia, Police brutality, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Classism, Torture, Pedophilia, Murder, Gore, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Blood, Animal cruelty, War, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child death, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Colonisation, Infidelity, and Hate crime

m4rtt4's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

interesting yet very confusing — there were so many characters that I feel like I missed half of the story. The other half I did like, in all its sadness it was also full of beauty and hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Death, Medical content, Islamophobia, and War

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This author’s last book was hard for me to read and this one is too. They are so loved though so it must be something I’m missing. I lost the thread of the narrative often and I couldn’t really tell you what the books about beyond extremism and India. And maybe trans rights?

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Violence, Body shaming, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Religious bigotry, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Sexual assault, War, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Misogyny, and Murder

littlecake's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

To Anjum, her wit and courage,

To the chosen family she made for herself,

To Tilo, her powerful yet calm energy and her sharp observations

To Musa, his fierce spirit and his gentle heart

To Udaya, to the love you got and bought and the heritage you uphold

To Old Delhi, its galiyaan and the many lives that intertwine within

To Kashmir, to Kashmiris and to the fight against oppression and occupation.

To all of you, my heart goes. 

My feelings 

I really loved this book, an all-time favourite. It is set between Old Delhi and Kashmir and follows an amazing cast of characters belonging to minorities or persecuted groups in India. Through their stories, you get a scan of India and its politics for the last 40 years. And it isn't pretty. So many topics are tackled: Hijara and/or trans people, Islamophobia, Hindutva nationalism, casteism, Kashmir and Occupation, oppression of Adivasi, etc. 

As much as I loved the book, it was hard to read. Not because of Roy's style (although it required concentration at times) but because the content really moved me. Being an Indian Muslim, so many parts about Islamophobia and nationalism were disheartening, and the part about Kashmir was crushing. These feelings were enhanced by the ongoing news in India. 

But reading some articulate criticism of India's politics was comforting. I found the Old Delhi part heartwarming because my family is from there. The descriptions of the place are so on point; they made me nostalgic for my homeland.

The story 

The first part of the book follows Anjum's journey! I get why it's the most popular part of the book. She is a lovely character with so many layers and complexity. 

Many people didn't like Tilo's part (the 2nd part of the book) and found it confusing. I actually got really quickly engrossed in it. Mostly because Tiloo and Musa are fascinating characters, and I loved learning about them through Bilaap and Naga. The relationship between Tilo and Musa is heartwarming and feels organic. Yet because of the context they are in, it really breaks your heart simultaneously. 

The most heartwarming part was when Tilo and Anjum finally met. Even though the book is quite depressing because it looks at India's current violence with no filter, the ending gives warmth to your heart without being cheesy. Everything comes in full circle, and different storylines get a conclusion. 

The writing

The writing is really gripping, and it takes you through a very intimate experience with each character. In this book, Old Delhi and Kashmir are also characters of their own, and we get to learn a lot about them. 

Some of the parts might have benefited from better editing. For example, there are two journal entries here: the first one with the rant of Tilo's mother is sometimes confusing and could have been shorter. But I got her obsession with casteism. However, I read the second one about Kashmir quickly and found it informative yet heartwrenching.

The symbolism

The graveyard is a kind of a metaphor. It contains all of the souls, groups and minorities that the Dunia of mainstream India refuses to see and acknowledge. Yet, they form a community in which they find friendship and solidarity.

The only character talking in the first person is Bilaap. He is kind of a representation of the ordinary reader, a stereotypical high society Indian brahmin. He is piecing together the story of Tiloo just as the reader is. His opinions are the typical ones shaped by mainstream media. The change that happens within him is what Roy wants to see in his reader. Yet she still calls out their privilege, and Musa gives provocative thought to the reader and Bilaap to ponder upon. 

Why it might not be for you? 

Eventhough I am enthusiastic about this book, I understand some of the negative reviews, and I think it's definitely not for everyone. Two necessary conditions to enjoy this book are :

1. You must be interested and have some knowledge about Indian politics. Roy is more a political essayist, and it shows. She will do a really radical commentary on today's India through the characters' eyes. She touches on some really controversial topics: caste, Kashmir, Islamophobia, etc. It's important to know that this book is not written for a western audience. Things are not explained and she often refers to different politicians by funny descriptions. But if you don't know the Indian political scene, you will be super confused. Its main target is the south Asian audience.
2. You must enjoy characters driven books a lot. There is not much of a plot here. We go deep into the characters' reality, their vision of the world and history. If you want something moving fast with an action this one is not for you. 

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Islamophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Outing, Transphobia, War, Colonisation, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcoholism and Animal cruelty

loy127's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Genocide, Murder, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Death, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Gun violence, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, Racism, and Police brutality