Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

43 reviews

meghancolbert's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Arundhati Roy’s writing is exquisite. She writes as if the plot is a block of marble that she is slowly chiseling away at. The story does not unfold in chronological order, and the narrative subtly switches between past and present (sometimes you have to pay attention to small details to know which decade you are in). Despite the constant shifting, I was never confused about what was happening or where the author was leading me. I could see the final masterpiece emerging from the block of marble bit by bit. Arundhati Roy paints an incredibly detailed and nuanced picture of generational trauma, family dysfunction, and the corrosive natures of jealousy, grief, and guilt. This is the story of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel, who have their childhood innocence violently stolen from them by the adults who were supposed to protect them. As adults, Estha and Rahel reunite and struggle to repair their once-inseparable bond. As they battle their demons, they make a remarkably destructive choice that endangers them both. 
I appreciate that Roy refused to sugar coat the devastating effects of trauma on the human psyche, and resisted the common temptation to force happy endings on her characters. This book will disturb and sadden you, but at the same time will prompt you to reflect deeply on human nature, love, rebellion, and free will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Incest, Sexual assault, Racism, Grief, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Child death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual content

annatan's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Child death, Classism, Racism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Grief

cassreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

This book was an excruciatingly slow read for me. If you're looking for likeable characters or a suspenseful plot that makes the time fly by, this may not be a great pick for you.

But I really liked it. I loved it's exploration of colonialism and gender and selfhood, of Borders and Boundaries and the people who cross them. The prose is expansive, almost poetic at times. Roy plays with language, in ways that can feel aimless, driven by association, by a need to reveal the edges of letters and words and the limits of the meanings they are meant to convey.

It isn't 5 stars for arbitrary reasons, not due to any flaw in actual quality. I only rate a book 5 stars if I can't wait to re-read it, and I don't want to re-read this, maybe ever. Finishing this book feels like finishing an overly rich, Michelin star meal at a restaurant you can't afford to go to again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Incest, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Grief and Child death

Minor: Animal death

lcamp2780's review

dark sad medium-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism, Vomit, Gore, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Incest, Abandonment, Excrement, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Animal death

gagne's review

adventurous emotional sad slow-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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Violence and Vomit

Minor: Blood, Classism, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, and Excrement

molestation of a child by an adult

suzanneelsa's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

5.0

first reread in Dec 2023. 

I love this book with all that I’ve got. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Child abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Grief, Religious bigotry, Violence, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, and Torture

_rowan_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, and Racism

johnatetheapple's review

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Classism, Child death, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Misogyny, and Murder

closethikikomori's review

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Racism, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Incest

gnomeyjo's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief