Likened to the works of Faulkner and Dickens when it was first published twenty years ago, this extraordinarily accomplished debut novel is a brilliantly plotted story of forbidden love and piercing political drama, centered on the tragic decline of an Indian family in the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India. Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, the twins Rahel and Esthappen fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family--their lonely, lovely mother Ammu (who ...
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Likened to the works of Faulkner and Dickens when it was first published twenty years ago, this extraordinarily accomplished debut novel is a brilliantly plotted story of forbidden love and piercing political drama, centered on the tragic decline of an Indian family in the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India. Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, the twins Rahel and Esthappen 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 and her mother arrive on a Christmas visit, the twins learn that things can change in a day. That lives can twist into new, ugly shapes, even cease forever. The brilliantly plotted story uncoils with an agonizing sense of foreboding and inevitability. Yet nothing prepares you for what lies at the heart of it.
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Considering all the prizes this book received, I thought it would be worth reading. I found it so overwritten and the plot so overwrought. The endless similes really started me annoy me. I've heard Ms. Roy speaking out about issues and I admire her courage, but I found this almost unreadable.
kroff
May 24, 2007
Brilliant
Arundhati Roy is one of the most talented writers to emerge yet. Her unpretentious, sensually euphoric style makes this novel a "must read".
snaglepuss
Apr 3, 2007
The best...
This was the only book I could not put down. Yes, a fascinating look at another time and place. Yes, crafted as though you are living and breathing and worried about the chutneys. I loved it because it taught me how to be an engaged reader and mostly why we need to trust gifted writers. My vote for all time best book ever.
