Book Review -The God Of Small Things

 

Author: Arundhati Roy

Year of publication: 1997

No of pages:340

Language: English

Central Characters: Rahel& Estha(Esthappen)

Rating: 5/5

 '' And the air was full of thoughts and things to say but at times like these ,only the small things ever said .Big things lurk unsaid inside"

                             - Arundhati Roy(The God Of Small Things)

                               The God Of Small Things is one of the most remarkable works of Arundhati Roy ,which won Booker Prize in 1997. It's a story setup in Ayemenem now a part of Kottayam district ,Kerala ,India. The story deals with the relationship between members of the Ipe family in Ayemenem. The story mainly travels through the life of two children Rahel and Estha. Estha is Rahel's twin brother ,who is 18 minutes elder to her. As mentioned above this book mainly based on relationships especially between Estha and Rahel and their mother Ammu. 

                  Estha and Rahel's parents got separated when they are 2 years old. Their father was a violent alcoholic ,so Ammu returned to Ayemenem with her two children. Ammu have a brother named Chacko ,who's marriage was also a failure . Chacko's ex-wife Margaret and their daughter Sophie mol ,who were coming from Lendon to spend christmas at Ayemenem. It is around their visit all the tragic events happens in Ayemenem. The book itself quoted that ' It's all began when Sophie mol came to Ayemenem '. The story mainly revolves around the death of 7 year old Sophie mol. The events in the story can be classified pre and post Sophie mol. Sophie mol died in a boat accident. The book focus on the characters , how they were  before Sophie mol inccident and how they  changed after the inccident.

                More than a  brother and sister Rahel and Estha shares a special bond. After Sophie mol's death Ammu returns Estha to his father because she can't afford to keep both twins. The story begins with Estha's retun to Ayemenem after 25 years. Both in the novel's title and in the writing style, Arundhati Roy shows ,how small things, objects and changes leads to big things like love and death. The novel was translated into malayalam as  'Kunju Karyangalude Ode Thampuran'