BC – BOOK REVIEW

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

BY ARUNDHATI ROY
 DESCRIPTION ABOUT AUTHOR AND SUMARRY OF
THE BOOK
ABOUT THE AUTHOR-
Suzanna Arundhati Roy, an Indian author best known for her debut
novel “The God of Small Things”, which won the Man Booker Prize
for Fiction in 1997 and became the best-selling book by a non-
expatriate Indian author. She was also awarded with Sydney Peace
Prize in the year 2004. She is a human rights activist. Her writing,
precise and powerful, highlights her commitment to social , economic
and environmental justice.
SUMMARY-
'A simple story set against the backdrop of social discrimination,
communism and the caste system'

The story unfolds the lives of people in Kerala who are the captives of
Communism, the caste system, and the Keralite Syrian Christian way
of life. It embarks on the journey of the dizyotic twins Rahel and
Esthappen (Estha), the children of Ammu Ipe.

The book opens with Rahel returning from Calcutta and he reaches
Ayemenem during the brooding month of summer. Ammu Ipe who
had become desperate to marry after she got rejected during marriage
proposals due to her dowry, moves to Kolkata to her aunt where she
marries a man who worked in a tea estate. The man soon turned out to
be an alcoholic and who used to beat her. After Rahel and Estha were
born, she moved back to her house in Ayemenem and lived with her
mother and brother Chacko.

Sophie Mol is Chacko and Margaret's daughter. Sophie Mol is dead.

When Ammu Ipe came to knew about Rahel and Velutha's (who
worked at their house and belonged to the untouchable class)
relationship, she sacked Velutha from work and she locked herself in
her room. Rahel and Velutha tried to flee together by rowing across
the river to an abandoned house and were helped by Sophie Mol.
When they were rowing across the river, an accident takes Sophie
Mol's life. Pappachi is Rahel and Estha's grandfather. Navomi Ipe
Kochamma nicknamed "Baby Kochamma" was Pappachi's sister.
Baby Kochamma blamed Velutha for Sophie Mol's death and
complained to the police. The police who beat ruthlessly beat Velutha
for crossing caste line. This had a deep effect on the twins who
became silent after this savage act.

The twins reveal the truth of Sophie's death to the police chief; the
police chief knew that since Velutha was a communist his wrongful
arrest and beating would antagonise the local communists.

Baby Kochamma fearing arrest convinces Chacko into believing that

the twins are responsible for his daughter's (Sophie Mol) death.
Chacko asks Ammu to leave the house. On account of poverty Ammu
was forced to send Estha to live with his father.

Rahel returns from the US, where he had left after an abusive
childhood, got married and divorced, finally returns back to
Ayemenem. Rahel, who was 31-year old when he returned back, met
Estha again for the first time since childhood. The twins realised that
no one understood them better than themselves.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE
 The book explores how the small things affect peoples
behaviour and their lives.
 The God of Small Things represents Velutha, the man whom
Ammu loves.
 Velutha the paravan is considered as small by everyone other
than Ammu.
 Velutha, the twins and Ammu are small things in terms of
positions but big in terms of dignity, loyalty and kind love.
 The image of water lily represents how much the writer gives
importance to the small things of everyday life.
 Arundhati Roy aims to transform the humble men and women
into heroic creatures.

NEXT LETS HAVE A LOOK AT THE STRUCTURE OF THE

NOVEL

 This novel has 21 chapters with significant titles

 And more importantly it has fragmented structure.
 It includes lots of incidents and episodes , and these are all
unusual and unique
 The events are not presented in a chronological order
 The multiple layered narrative structure explores the complex
relation between trauma , memory and history

LETS DISCUSS ABOUT THE NARRATIVE FEATURES OF

THE NOVEL
 The novel is written in non sequential narrative style
 The incidents in the novel has cyclical return and dynamic
development.
 Roy, used multi layered storytelling technique which gives a
deeper meaning to the novel
 The novelist present past events always in the present and the
present always shaping the future.
 The narrative moves between two points in the time , 1969 and
1993.
 The novel begins at the end and ends in the middle of the story.
 The novel ends with Velutha and Ammu making love and it
ends on the word “tomorrow”
 The novelist repeatedly employed a modified form of “stream of
consciousness” technique in the novel
CONCLUSION – RECOMMENDATION – STAR RATING

Conslusion
This book shows that how small things in life can affect a person's life
but there is always a ray of hope sent by the almighty himself. This
book is narrated brilliantly from the third person point of view and
also from Rahel's point of view. The book's beauty lies in its way of
narration, a non-sequential way of narration with the words chosen
enticingly.
quote
I would like to mention two of my beautiful quotes from the book-
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS.

“And the air was full of Thoughts and Things to Say. But at times like these,
only the Small Things are ever said. Big Things lurk unsaid inside.”

and
“That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less.”

recommendation
A simple story of the complicated Ipe family set in the backdrop of
social discrimination, communism and caste system, this book is
mainly based on the betrayal and always pops the question into the
mind of the reader 'Can we trust anyone? Can we trust ourselves?' A
stunning book, highly recommended for the teens who wish to read
something different: a different way of writing, an exquisite way of
telling a story.
This book won the Booker Prize in the year 1997.
Star rating
I would like to rate this book 9.5/10 because I feel “The God of Small
Things” confronts the Big Themes of Love, Madness, and Hope.
Here's a writer who isn't afraid to defy convention. To dislocate
established rhythms and develop the language she requires, which is
both classical and unique. Arundhati Roy has written a book that is
based on agony, but is also filled with wit and enchantment.