Date Finished: 03/05/2011
Rating: 5/5
Oh my, do I love this book. I read it in my first attempt at completing the BBC Big Read, but all that I could remember about it was that I hadn't heard of it beforehand, wasn't sure whether I'd like it, had then been gripped by the story telling and finished it thinking it was one of the best books I had ever read. This time round, I knew what to expect and it didn't disappoint.
Roy has a wonderful way with words, using prompts to remind the reader of how the personalities of the two central characters, 'two-egg' twins Estha and Rahel, have built up. She uses an innocence of language that betrays the complexity of the story, and moves between the present, set in the early 1990s, and the past, about 23 years previously, without leaving the reader (i.e. me!) confused.
The God of Small Things is the story of a family in India and the events and tragedy that affect their lives. The undercurrent of the story is love. But particularly loving too much, and in the wrong way. So, don't expect to feel all warm and fuzzy inside after reading this book, although the last chapter is particularly beautiful and poignant. Bits of this book are utterly heart wrenching, and I felt like I was reading from behind the sofa for some of it. I definitely cried.
So, who should read this book? Pretty much everyone I think. A brilliant first novel from Roy, a Booker prize winner, and an exceptional piece of writing. My first 5/5 rating, and well deserved.
Next Book: Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
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