The God of Small Things

The Asian literary phenomenon of the 90s. More magical than Mistry, more of a rollicking good read than Rushdie, more nerve-tinglingly imagined than Naipaul, here, perhaps, is the greatest Indian novel by a woman. Arundhati Roy has written an astonishingly rich, fertile novel, teeming with life, colour, heart-stopping language, wry comedy and a hint of magical realism. Set against a background of political turbulence in Kerala, Southern India, The God of Small Things tells the story of twins Esthappen and Rahel. Amongst the vats of banana jam and heaps of peppercorns in their grandmother's factory, they try to craft a childhood for themselves amidst what constitutes their family -- their lonely, lovely mother, their beloved Uncle Chacko (pickle baron, radical Marxist and bottom-pincher) and their avowed enemy Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grand-aunt).

ISBN 0006550681   Pages 368 ISBN13 9780006550686 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 266 Publisher HarperCollins Publishers   Published in London Imprint Flamingo   Previous ISBN 9780006551096 Format Paperback   Height (mm) 197 Publication date 05 May 1998   Width (mm) 130 DEWEY 823   Spine width (mm) 25 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level General

'Richly deserving the rapturous praise it has received on both sides of the Atlantic! The God of Small Things achieves a genuine tragic resonance. It is, indeed, a masterpiece.' Observer 'The God of Small Things genuinely is a masterpiece, utterly exceptional in every way, and there can be little doubt that posterity will place it very near the top of any shortlist of Indian novels published this century.' William Dalyrmple, Harpers and Queen. 'The quality of Ms. Roy's narration is so extraordinary -- at once so morally strenuous and so imaginatively supple -- that the reader remains enthralled all the way through to its agonizing finish! it evokes in the reader a feeling of gratitude and wonderment.' New York Times

It brilliantly and seductively evokes the atmosphere, colours, and sounds of Kerala; the charatcters' thoughts, hopes and fears, the delights and pathos of life are all here. - Keith Bothwell

If I could have written any book I've read, it would be this. This is a novel of astounding poetry; an intense and deeply moving mixture of tragedy and beauty. It is both political and personal; intelligent and artistic. It captivated me in a richly sensual world right up to its poignant climax. - Lucy Dixon

I haven't read this book for a long time but years later I remember the poetry of the writing - I remember the attention to detail - tiny moments recorded - sunlight caught on dust particles, eyelids 'snapping shut'. I remember the depth of passion of the love between the 2 main characters and I remember the devestation and upset I felt at the ending of the relationship. i enjoyed it better on the 2nd and 3rd readings when i knew what was going to happen, for then, rather than race along with the story, I could notice the minutiae of detail in the prose. - Julia Harris



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