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A review by mirandaleighhhh
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
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?
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?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Gore, Police brutality, Body horror, Grief, Colonisation, and Domestic abuse