The God of Small Things

Deservedly a Booker prize winner. Read this book when Arundhati Roy won the Man Booker (1997). Loved it then. Read it a second time now and enjoyed it all the more.

Beautiful and unique writing style. Within the long drawn descriptions there is the back story and foreshadowing of the main event on which the plot is plotted. She unfolds the main plot in small doses as she flits between the past and present, and weaves many sub-plots in between.

I found the writing style quite brilliant, absolute control over language, clear flow of thought by each character. But, I think, the thoughts are too repetitive at many places. The length of the novel could have been brought down by about 20 per cent.

There is a free and natural flow of words. Unique style of writing, like the book is spoken, not written. So inimitable a way of storytelling, I doubt she would be able to imitate her own style in her next book.

Yes, I noticed a similarity of plots between this one and that of 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'. In one, it is an innocent black man who is framed and hanged by high-handed people who administer law; in the other, it's an innocent low-caste that meets with the same fate. In both cases, the point of view is that of a child, which is also viewed from a another perspective when the child grows up.

There are other similarities as well. Both books are debuts by award-winning authors, and Lee Harper didn’t write another novel until a long, long time after her first one. A pity! Arundhati hasn't followed up 'God of Small Things' with another novel. She wrote some essays, non-fiction and maybe some short fiction. Finally, she is coming up with her second novel, ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’. I plan to get hold of it.