Review: The God of Small Things
I haven't had the opportunity to actually read Indian literature for the sake of blogging, even though I've read plenty throughout my years at school. Gotta thank St Paul's for that I guess, for introducing me to Indian literature. Though except Durjoy Datta, there are only few books I've read in English.
The year is 1969. In the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India, a skyblue Plymouth with chrome tailfins is stranded on the highway amid a Marxist workers' demonstration. Inside the car sit two-egg twins Rahel and Esthappen, and so begins their tale. . . .
Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, they fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family—their lonely, lovely mother, Ammu (who loves by night the man her children love by day), their blind grandmother, Mammachi (who plays Handel on her violin), their beloved uncle Chacko (Rhodes scholar, pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher), their enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grandaunt), and the ghost of an imperial entomologist's moth (with unusually dense dorsal tufts).
When their English cousin, Sophie Mol, and her mother, Margaret Kochamma, arrive on a Christmas visit, Esthappen and Rahel learn that Things Can Change in a Day. That lives can twist into new, ugly shapes, even cease forever, beside their river "graygreen." With fish in it. With the sky and trees in it. And at night, the broken yellow moon in it.
Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, they fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family—their lonely, lovely mother, Ammu (who loves by night the man her children love by day), their blind grandmother, Mammachi (who plays Handel on her violin), their beloved uncle Chacko (Rhodes scholar, pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher), their enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grandaunt), and the ghost of an imperial entomologist's moth (with unusually dense dorsal tufts).
When their English cousin, Sophie Mol, and her mother, Margaret Kochamma, arrive on a Christmas visit, Esthappen and Rahel learn that Things Can Change in a Day. That lives can twist into new, ugly shapes, even cease forever, beside their river "graygreen." With fish in it. With the sky and trees in it. And at night, the broken yellow moon in it.
QUICK THOUGHTS AND REVIEW: 4.5/5, BEAUTIFUL, I CAN SEE WHY IT GOT THE BOOKER PRIZE IN 1997.
Possible Trigger Tags:
1. Racism
2. Discrimination
3. Prevalence of caste system
4. Mentions of inbreeding
5. Major character death
6. Mention of harassment
7. Mention of rape
8. Neglect
WHAT DID I FEEL ABOUT THE BOOK'S:
1. Writing Quality: I really love the writing quality, a mixture of the present and the past. The good thing about it is that it hits a different way when you're a child, and a completely different way when you're an adult. A mixture between the past and the present, the story is about how something, or someone's actions can completely change the course of life, something that would be the complete opposite of the outcome that you'd initially expected. The writing quality does get a bit repetitive at times which does cause a bit of boredom in between, but sometimes, the repetition is done to make an emphasis, I've forgotten the name of the literary device.
2. Image/ Illustration Quality: The year's 1969 in India, post-Independence Kerala. Having crammed Indian history for almost two years and reading stories about it for schoolwork almost made it impossible for me to not be able to imagine what the environment or the setting was like. Even though I haven't touched History in almost two years now. [I did get almost full marks in ICSE doe] But yeah, it was pretty easy for me to imagine what it was like during that time and what people were like. Thank you history, for being useful for once in my goddamn life.
3. Character Development: Speaking of characters, I have opinions, like a lot.
Estha and Rahel: Twins who were separated after an incident. When the past is being spoken of, one can immediately understand that these two are a unit. But one can also see how the difference in treatment of the two children affects their thinking and their activities day by day. Estha is coddled and loved, while Rahel is cast aside with every opportunity she can. This later affects their lives as adults too, where Estha becomes a home-loving but quiet person, and Rahel becomes this carefree, home hater.
Ammu: Stereotypical who runs away from her house and marries a guy and has kids and then the guy abandons her or she leaves the guy and returns home. Leaving her with nothing but anger, regret, frustration and little love for the kids. Ammu clearly loves her children but it's like all her anger that should have been directed towards her husband gets directed towards the kids and it implodes, which kind of destroys her from the inside.
Baby Kochamma: In some ways, Baby Kochamma can be seen as the antagonist in the book. In many ways, especially towards the end, she becomes the reason everyone's lives become so messed up. Part of it could be attributed to the fact that she was bitter that she could never have Father Mulling for herself that she decides to indirectly ruin everyone's life. I'd go even as far as to say that she's the reason Ammu drove herself mad and Velutha was killed. Her needless meddling just messed with everyone's lives.
Chacko: I don't know what to say about Chacko. He's in so many roles, but he is in none of them. It's like he's skimming over the surface of these roles while trying to look like he actually cares, when in reality, he actually does not. Even though his character is a prominent one and is discussed in depth, Chacko can't be seen as anything but shallow.
4. Couldn't put it down- Ness: 8/10, since it was in my physical tbr, it took me a lot more time than it should have normally, but it's pretty good.
5. Intellectual Depth: Talking about how a single incident changed everything in two people's lives forever. Perhaps more people were involved in it, but I'd like to think that Estha and Rahel's lives were affected more than people would like to see. Even though Estha and Rahel are dizygotic twins, which does not make them any different from normal siblings except that they're born at the same time, there is still a connection that brings them together throughout the whole story in their childhood. And after Sophie Mol's death, everything just changes between them- their love for one another, their interactions, the very connection that existed between them was severed. They were more like strangers as adults. Kind of explains how a single day can change lives forever.
6. Plot: The plot is simple, really. It tells us the story of twins Estha and Rahel and how a single incident changed the whole of their lives forever and how it affected them even in their adulthood. It can't be considered as anything bombastic or bamboozling and yet there is something mysterious about the plot that drags you in and it's beautiful I guess. It just brings you in, I can't explain.
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