Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - The God of Small Things

I enjoyed this book, mostly because of its writing. The writing is magnificent. The brilliant metaphors, the repetition, and the non-linearness of the plot make the writing sort of dream-like. This book is slow-paced, detailing all of the small and big things that lead up to (and the consequences of) the big event described at the start of the book, The Death of Sophie Mol. The characters are well fleshed out and believable (even if some of them are horrible people). This book is also very melancholy and deals with a lot of tragedy. The descriptions of the tragedies are visceral and impactful, and they wonderfully reflect the consequences of things such as the caste system, gender roles, and childhood trauma. This book definitely isn't for everyone, but I'm glad I read it.

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lanid's review

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

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johnatetheapple's review

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challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

This book is black magic, its dark spell distills humanity into mere mortal words in a way that leaves you feeling speechless, uncomfortable, and utterly amazed.

This book weaves a complex story of intertwined narratives which feed off each other. The disorganised way in which the story is revealed to us serves to put us in the same mental haze the characters no doubt live through, suspended between the past and the present, their demons haunting them around every corner.

This book genuinely changed something inside of me, and it has rightfully earned the spot amongst the most remarkable book I’ve ever read in my life.

The book has a slow-pace, with the events unfolding leisurely. The author pulls you into many worlds and many perspectives in quick succession, and I was fascinated with the journey. I followed her through these numerous portals with the utmost pleasure. But fair warning that it may at times be disorienting, and at others completely overwhelming, so I don’t recommend reading this book all at once or very quickly. Pace yourself.

I feel like I was genuinely pulled into the world of Ayemenem, with its grief and love and laughter. Speaking of, this books was surprisingly funny, which is not something I’ve noticed any reviews I read mention. Yes, it is poignant and life-changing and harrowing, but it’s also hilarious at times, which caught me unawares.

I feel like I know these people intimately, and if I could only have one complaint it’s that I wish we saw more of Velutha especially, and more of adult Rahel and Estha, because I feel like I was starving for more of them but was left mostly hungry.

All in all, this book should be read by everyone and taught in schools, studied in universities. I am ready to write a 70-page dissertation on it.

I am genuinely tempted to bulk order copies of this book and simply begin handing them out to everyone I know.

Content Warnings

rubbercitykitten's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad

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

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niranjana_25's review

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emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-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

4.5

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parsnipsnap's review against another edition

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We should just stop publishing and tolerating graphic sexual assault/rape on children, like why do you feel the need to describe it for 3 whole pages ???

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ile94's review

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dark emotional 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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