Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The God of Small Things

Roy is an activist first and writer second and it shows in the material! This is a compliment, she writes stories that are necessary and missing. Prose + use of repetition off them shits, beautifully and sickeningly vivid imagery. The story lingers still, I won’t forget it anytime soon

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klexosia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This was very heavy and the events were difficult to read. I have found myself thinking of this almost daily since finishing. So much of it was through the lens of children which made it both devastating and incredibly interesting. Reading afterward that there was a lawsuit against the author in her home state (now dropped) with charges of obscenity is not entirely surprising - more, it solidifies the whole point of the story that needed to be told, and the stories in real life that have been silenced.

It's hard to rate this for enjoyment...it was profoundly depressing. But it is solid in its execution and deserves a 4 at least.

The imagery was 10/10...I annotated so much but these are some of my favorites.

"So small god laughed a hollow laugh and skipped away cheerfully. Like a rich boy in shorts. He whistled, kicked stones. The source of his brittle elation was the relative smallness of his misfortune. He climbed into people's eyes and became an exasperating expression."

"Liquid ache spread under her skin, and she walked out of the world like a witch, to a better, happier place."

"Pointed in the wrong direction, trapped outside their own history and unable to retrace their steps because their footprints had been swept away."

"War has made us adore our conquerors and despise ourselves."

"Ammu flew through her dream on heavy, shuddering wings, and stopped to rest just under the skin of it."

"If you're happy in a dream Ammu, does it count?

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talin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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arunphilip's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

As someone from the same community as the characters in the book, the opportunity to have read such an honest exploration not only of the community but humans in general was incredible. Rare treat.

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fannachristine's review against another edition

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sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

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heather_c_w's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Beautifully written. Hard to read at times with the subject matter. I found it tricky to follow and get the gist at points, as the narrative switches perspectives and time frames a lot. But things generally became a bit clearer towards the end as the timelines merged - and this actually reflects that clarity that comes to the characters in adulthood in comparison to their childhood understanding.

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