cindypepper 's review for:

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

3.75

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A surreal and transgressive story of a tragedy borne about by seemingly "small things" or inconsequential actions, but also shaped by the caste system and the lingering effects of British colonialism in India. The story takes place in Kerala in the 1960s and is framed around the death of a young girl, Sophie Mol, and the people whose lives are intertwined, though it is not clear from the beginning why they are connected to the tragedy. Admittedly, I was a bit lost as the disjointed narrative was initially hard to follow. The book would delve into the backstories of each character, but would jump ahead to the "present day" of 1993, when the twins reunite. I'm not sure if the narrative structure really worked for me; it's not that a traditional linear structure is needed, but rather, there could have been more buildup and tension around the circumstances and consequences of Sophie Mol's death. I still gasped at some of the reveals, but I wish I'd known that the death was what the narrative was framed around. It wasn't clear that there were stakes around the circumstances of the death!

In any case, there's a lot to appreciate, even if you do take the effort to mentally stitch together the fragments and threads depicted in the story. The prose loops around and diverges, often in lyrical fashion, and illustrates the complexity of love and loss of childhood.

Also BABY KOCHAMMA >:(