The God of Small Things. By Arundhati Roy

This book. BIG SIGH. This book. Twisted. Me.

Let me try to explain that.

I mostly read in bed at night, those last ten to twenty minutes before my eyes and body say: “That’s it for today! Try again tomorrow!” As a result, there is some sort of dynamic at play between the book on my night stand and bed time. If it is a good book that I am looking forward to, I get to bed without hesitation. If I am not enjoying the book on my night stand, it is harder to turn off the television and stop knitting or crocheting or whatever it is and head to bed. This book is one of the best books I have read, but I still had a hard time to go to bed. Why? Because it is a tragedy, from beginning to end. In an excruciatingly beautiful way.

The book tells the story of the childhood experiences of Rahel and Estha, fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by what Arundhati Roy, the author, describes as “Love Laws” that lay down “who should be loved, and how. And how much.” But to be honest, every character in this book is tragic in some way or another. The story is set in Ayemenem, India and goes back and forth between 1969, when the twins are seven years, and 1993, when they are reunited at age 31.

The biggest part of the book is told from the perspective of the children. An amazing experience, which triggered some of my own childhood memories. Roy makes you part of their wonderful world: You see what they see, hear their word play and feel what they feel. It is a colorful and playful world, slowly taken over, however, by tragedy caused by adult rules they do not understand. As the adult reader, you are twisted and turned, because you do know that tragedy lies ahead. The kids’ world is squeaking and cracking, but Roy just keeps going with such humor, as if it is a comedy. A heartbreaking experience for the reader.

I got this book for Christmas from my mother-in-law. Which is also the reason why I read it in Dutch, even though it is an English written book. I try to read books in their original languages, but I happily make an exception for gifted books or languages I don’t know. If you can, however, read this book in English. Roy’s play with words and sounds is so exquisite, it should be enjoyed in its most natural flavor.

The God of Small Things was Roy’s debut by the way, and she won the Man Book Prize for it. It became the biggest-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. Last year, she published her second novel: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, which is on my wish list. (Wink, wink at Sjia!)