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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Arundhati Roy clearly had a lot of things she wanted to talk about in this book. It’s very long, episodic, overpopulated, with many tangents and little cohesion.
Roy’s topics include Kashmir, Hijras, the caste system, a history of several decades of Indian party politics, Bhopal, Teluga Maoists, Hindu Nationalism, shopping malls, poverty, Islamophobia, corruption, Gujarat and domestic abuse. All very noble causes which need more publicity. But too many for one story to sustain.
There were so many characters, and they appeared and disappeared and reappeared so erratically that I couldn’t keep track of them all, kept asking myself ‘who was that again?’. There were several overlong passages of what were meant to be ‘found documents’. Most of them were written in styles which were deliberately difficult to read.
There are some good characters but many ended up being representatives, not people. Her babies are particularly unrealistic. Some of the descriptions are lovely. Some of the stories are great.
There are too many lists which go on for too long. This sort of thing: “It whispered words of war into the ears of doctors and engineers, students and labourers, tailors and carpenters, weavers and farmers, shepherds, cooks and bards. They listened carefully then put down their books and implements, their needles, their chisels, their staffs, their ploughs, their cleavers and their spangled clown costumes…” etc. It’s like Roy wanted to fit everything and everyone in India into this book.
I think some of this is going to stay with me for a long time. The story has just been made to carry too much.
Roy’s topics include Kashmir, Hijras, the caste system, a history of several decades of Indian party politics, Bhopal, Teluga Maoists, Hindu Nationalism, shopping malls, poverty, Islamophobia, corruption, Gujarat and domestic abuse. All very noble causes which need more publicity. But too many for one story to sustain.
There were so many characters, and they appeared and disappeared and reappeared so erratically that I couldn’t keep track of them all, kept asking myself ‘who was that again?’. There were several overlong passages of what were meant to be ‘found documents’. Most of them were written in styles which were deliberately difficult to read.
There are some good characters but many ended up being representatives, not people. Her babies are particularly unrealistic. Some of the descriptions are lovely. Some of the stories are great.
There are too many lists which go on for too long. This sort of thing: “It whispered words of war into the ears of doctors and engineers, students and labourers, tailors and carpenters, weavers and farmers, shepherds, cooks and bards. They listened carefully then put down their books and implements, their needles, their chisels, their staffs, their ploughs, their cleavers and their spangled clown costumes…” etc. It’s like Roy wanted to fit everything and everyone in India into this book.
I think some of this is going to stay with me for a long time. The story has just been made to carry too much.
A wonderful and heartfelt trip. Too bad that the beautiful language isn’t placed in a more straightforward plot.
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
From the time it came out, it was clear that this book did not even come close to sheer beauty that was God of Small Things. But as someone who had been completely mesmerized by the writing on that one, I had to read Roy's second novel to find out for myself.
The short version is that I agree with those reviews - this book doesn't compare to her first one. There are some passages and stories here and there that take you tantalizingly close though. The last part of the book named after the title especially resonates. There are other gems thrown here and there - the start of the book with Anjum's story, the little nuggets like the story of a Dalit South Indian Army martyr, Gulrez the smiling boat man and his cats or Miss Jebeen the first. Arundhati Roy brings alive the poetry of these situations in her inimical style and they bring a smile to your face even as you understand how heartrendingly sad they are.
These moments are far and few in between though. The problem perhaps is with the width of the book. Unlike her first book, Arundhati does not stick to just one story. Perhaps like what is promised in the back of the book, she tries to be everywhere and tell the story of everything at once. And the book does end up being fragmented like a shattered mirror. You often get overwhelmed with the characters and the stories. It would have made for a better book if she had stuck to one story, told it whole and then moved on to another. I know it isn't as simple as that in reality. But fiction need not be like that. It could have been a slice of that reality and that would have made the whole picture a lot clearer.
It is definitely a book that must be read. It goes into almost all the major social problems in India and could perhaps act as a primer for them. But it does feel like just a primer and what we want and expect from Arundhati is the full deal.
The short version is that I agree with those reviews - this book doesn't compare to her first one. There are some passages and stories here and there that take you tantalizingly close though. The last part of the book named after the title especially resonates. There are other gems thrown here and there - the start of the book with Anjum's story, the little nuggets like the story of a Dalit South Indian Army martyr, Gulrez the smiling boat man and his cats or Miss Jebeen the first. Arundhati Roy brings alive the poetry of these situations in her inimical style and they bring a smile to your face even as you understand how heartrendingly sad they are.
These moments are far and few in between though. The problem perhaps is with the width of the book. Unlike her first book, Arundhati does not stick to just one story. Perhaps like what is promised in the back of the book, she tries to be everywhere and tell the story of everything at once. And the book does end up being fragmented like a shattered mirror. You often get overwhelmed with the characters and the stories. It would have made for a better book if she had stuck to one story, told it whole and then moved on to another. I know it isn't as simple as that in reality. But fiction need not be like that. It could have been a slice of that reality and that would have made the whole picture a lot clearer.
It is definitely a book that must be read. It goes into almost all the major social problems in India and could perhaps act as a primer for them. But it does feel like just a primer and what we want and expect from Arundhati is the full deal.
This book for me was one that I wanted to throw at times, at least during the first half which I felt was a “ cluster-f*ck” or a “muddled mess”, back and forth, sideways, up and down I was perplexed, puzzled, pretty much lost but I persevered and then finally it made sense and came together. The synopsis I do recommend reading first, which I didn't, I don't know if even that would have helped, but it might. The author starts the story with Aftab (male) who is actually Anjum (female), because the child is born intersex (both). But that's not really the story..off we go to meet more characters and I'm not sure if I even want to go there and write a review. If you are bold, take a chance and read, if not...maybe grab something that won't give you a headache trying to unravel.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
I have been waiting for this book for two decades, and that alone can be the recipe for disappointment. I am glad it survived that tough test and managed to surprise me as God of Small Things did twenty years ago. But it did so in a very different way.
Like her earlier novel, it is hard to categorize. But unlike her earlier book, this is a little easier to summarize. In my humble opinion, art that can be summarized does not stay with us for that long. Only time will tell if I am right this time. She creates a world that is intimate and familiar on one hand, while being remote and utterly strange at the same time. This world, made of many little stories and innumerable characters, are held together by her magical prose. What I liked most is the moral complexity of this world -- it doesn't try to simplify the complexity of modern India and all its inner conflicts.
Like her earlier novel, it is hard to categorize. But unlike her earlier book, this is a little easier to summarize. In my humble opinion, art that can be summarized does not stay with us for that long. Only time will tell if I am right this time. She creates a world that is intimate and familiar on one hand, while being remote and utterly strange at the same time. This world, made of many little stories and innumerable characters, are held together by her magical prose. What I liked most is the moral complexity of this world -- it doesn't try to simplify the complexity of modern India and all its inner conflicts.
With anticipation, I tucked into the latest offering from Arundhati Roy. More than 20 years have passed since I read her debut novel The God of Small Things and it remains vivid in my memory, each character still alive. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness‘ opens with the description of the death of the vultures in Delhi which lived up to the hype my mind created but 20% in and I closed the book. Two things I cannot read past are:
Swearing: for some reason, I am more tolerant of bad language in programmes and people than I am in books. Characters who swear because that is their nature I make allowances for, but cursing in the storytelling seems unnecessary to me and this book is full of it…still number 2 was the final nail
Graphic violence: I understand slaughtering of animals is part of India’s cultures and that massacres took place in the war between India and Pakistan but I haven’t the stomach to read the descriptions of the disembowelling of cows and goats or the bleeding out of men, women and children that extend over a page.
That said, Roy’s character formation and writing remain exquisite and, if you aren’t bothered by either of those, I’m sure this book is quite the education and journey. Focused on the outcasts of India, be they Muslims, transgender individuals born male, or abandoned children, Roy’s activist voice is loud. I empathised and was horrified by how each one was treated. I learnt much more about what has happened in India than was ever depicted by the news so I was sad to put this one down. Try it, see what you think, I’d love to know your thoughts!
Swearing: for some reason, I am more tolerant of bad language in programmes and people than I am in books. Characters who swear because that is their nature I make allowances for, but cursing in the storytelling seems unnecessary to me and this book is full of it…still number 2 was the final nail
Graphic violence: I understand slaughtering of animals is part of India’s cultures and that massacres took place in the war between India and Pakistan but I haven’t the stomach to read the descriptions of the disembowelling of cows and goats or the bleeding out of men, women and children that extend over a page.
That said, Roy’s character formation and writing remain exquisite and, if you aren’t bothered by either of those, I’m sure this book is quite the education and journey. Focused on the outcasts of India, be they Muslims, transgender individuals born male, or abandoned children, Roy’s activist voice is loud. I empathised and was horrified by how each one was treated. I learnt much more about what has happened in India than was ever depicted by the news so I was sad to put this one down. Try it, see what you think, I’d love to know your thoughts!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An incredibly challenging and not very entertaining read that was a struggle to get through. I picked this up based on the blurb which is as representative of the book as saying Hunger Games is about a group of young people spending time together in nature - it's not totally wrong but doesn't reflect what's actually happening in 90% of the book (and the two women mentioned meet on page 300-something....). It's very political and historical, and assumes a certain level of knowledge of important events and phenomena in 2000s India. Learning more about them was sometimes interesting though. At the same time, there are full paragraphs or sometimes even multiple pages of seemingly irrelevant trains of thought or side stories that are only tangentially related to the main plot (if even that). Overall a frustrating experience and I'd only recommend reading it if you're already familiar with this author's work and know you like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, War