The God of Small Things (Collins Modern Classics)

(Paperback)

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Description

The Asian literary phenomenon of the 90s.
More magical than Mistry, more of a rollicking good read than Rushdie, more nerve-tinglingly imagined than Naipaul, here, perhaps, is the greatest Indian novel by a woman. Arundhati Roy has written an astonishingly rich, fertile novel, teeming with life, colour, heart-stopping language, wry comedy and a hint of magical realism.

Set against a background of political turbulence in Kerala, Southern India, The God of Small Things tells the story of twins Esthappen and Rahel. Amongst the vats of banana jam and heaps of peppercorns in their grandmothers factory, they try to craft a childhood for themselves amidst what constitutes their family their lonely, lovely mother, their beloved Uncle Chacko (pickle baron, radical Marxist and bottom-pincher) and their avowed enemy Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grand-aunt).

Reviews

Richly deserving the rapturous praise it has received on both sides of the AtlanticThe God of Small Things achieves a genuine tragic resonance. It is, indeed, a masterpiece Observer

Roy is truly gifted, not just in her ability to make words playful and meaning mischievous, but to use this to create a language texture that bowls you along, gathering momentum like the narrative itselfWitty and vivid, full of rich, memorable imagesa verbal stream of steady beauty Ali Smith

It is rare to find a book that so effectively cuts through the clothes of nationality, caste and religion to reveal the bare bones of humanity. A sensational novel Daily Telegraph

A quite astonishing novel by any standards broad in its historical sweep, emotionally profound and marvellously acute and delicate Economist

Quite brilliantOne can only strongly recommend this extremely funny and enchanting and pretty much genius piece of debut fiction Spectator

Author Bio

Arundhati Roy is the author of the novel The God of Small Things, which won the Booker Prize in 1997.