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"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

The best thing about cracking open a new book is the transportation to a new place. This week, we are visiting – through literacy – the state of Kerala, India, through the reading of “The God of Small Things” (1997) by Arundhati Roy. This is a story packed with intense emotions that readers must weave through to solve the mystery of what happened to Sophie Mol.

If you are someone who does not appreciate a nonlinear timeline, beware this book may not be for you. The story is told primarily from the perspective of Rahel Mol, but it can be confusing based on the multiple time jumps that happen throughout the narration. Some of this work is told while Rahel and her brother, Estha, are children, while other portions are told from Rahel’s perspective as an adult. I personally find this narrative structure to be engaging and thought-provoking, but it can be tricky to navigate, especially in the beginning. 

The first task readers face in this story is trying to uncover what causes the death of Estha and Rahel’s cousin, Sophie, who dies in Kerala while visiting. At first, it seems Sophie’s death is a tragic accident where she got too close to the river– something that is mostly but not completely true. While I would love to spoil it, I think this is something you should read about and uncover yourself. 

I positively loved one seemingly unimportant aspect of this work, which is the twin-telepathy situation going on between Estha and Rahel. It is unclear how much of this is actually happening and how much of it is unreliable narration. One thing is sure: this connection has a powerful impact on readers. 

I found the interconnectedness between Estha and Rahel made them both incredibly sympathetic characters. Especially for anyone who has siblings, you can sort of understand where a lot of the feelings of protectiveness and concern come from with Estha and Rahel. Adding in the semi-supernatural appearance of twin-telepathy just further emphasizes their relationship. 

A question to ask yourself while reading this novel is, “Who really is the God of Small Things?” This is something that is never quite fully answered. It seems it could be Velutha, the short-term lover of Estha and Rahel’s mother. However, good arguments have been made that it is Estha or Rahel – or even both of them – who are the God of Small Things. For myself, I first read this book a year ago and recently re-read it, and I still have not made a firm decision on who it is. I lean towards Velutha, but there are a lot of compelling takes for other characters as well. 

Interestingly, several parallels can be drawn between this work and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1960). Both works feature siblings who are navigating very adult situations, issues of prejudice and dire consequences for transgressive behavior. As someone who greatly enjoys Southern literature, I found it fascinating to see the comparisons of storytelling in a completely different country. It is a little thing that proves how universal some stories can be. 

Before picking up this book, please know it contains many sensitive subjects. There are issues of child abuse, graphic violence and psychological scarring throughout this text. It is definitely not a lighthearted read. 

“The God of Small Things” is one of those books that just leaves you haunted. I highly encourage everyone to give it a chance. In light of its complex structure and possibly vague plots, I give this work a 9 out of 10.