A Book Review on The God of Small Things
By Marie Juliebeth Monge
~Introduction
With her native approach, Andruhati Roy has presented a prize winning novel published in 1997. A story about love, madness, hope, and joy.
From being an architect to writing TV scripts to writing a fiction close to reality, Andruhati Roy was from a Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali father whom she doesn’t want to talk much about.
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~Summary of Text
The story primarily sets its location in Ayemenem, a town in India.
The story revolves around the fraternal twins, Rahel and Estha. At a young age of seven they were separated but then reunited at the age of 31.
Pappachi(a term which means grandfather) was the perfect father, perfect husband to other people. He was an imperial entomologist, and yes he was prominent. But one time, his discovery of new species of moths were dismissed and credited to someone else, his façade rolled down. One night, Pappachi was beating Mammachi(his wife) and was stopped by Chacko, Ammu’s brother. Since then, and until his death, Pappachi never lifted a hand to his wife and never talked to them. He also stopped Ammu into going to college, and forces her to go back to their hometown.
Ammu, lacking enough dowry for a marriage proposal, gets desperate to get away from the claws of her father. Finally, she manages to convince them to allow her spend the summer at her aunt in Calcutta. And of course, avoiding Ayemenem, she marries a man who manages a tea estate. She send letter to them, but no reply came. And so on, it was learned that this man turned out to be alcoholic and constantly beats Ammu and even tried to prostitute her so he can keep his job. Ammu couldn’t stand it that when she gave birth to the twins, she immediately went back to Ayemenem to her mother and brother.
In the house where Ammu and her mother and brother lives, also lives Baby Kochamma, who is the sister of their late father. When still young, Baby Kochamma fell in love with an Irish priest that caused her to convert and enter the convent. But when Father Mulligan was converted into Hinduism, Baby Kochamma went out of the convent but did not convert back.
Chacko, while still studying in Oxford, fell in love with an English woman named Margaret. They married and had a daughter named Sophie, but later on the two divorced because Maragaret fell in love with another man named Joe. The two are still friends though. Margaret remarries, but sadly, Joe was killed in an accident. Chacko invites his ex-wife and daughter to spend Christmas at Ayemenem. On the way to the airport, the family car was encircled with protesters, and Baby Kochamma blames her embarrassment to Velutha.
Later it was known that Ammu and Velutha have a relationship causing Velutha to be banished and Ammu to be tricked and locked into a room. Estha and Rahel, blamed by their mother tried to escape. And while they’re in the boat, wherein Sophie was with them, the boat sank causing Sophie to drown.
The twins, tired of searching Sophie, fell asleep in an abandoned house. Not knowing that the abandoned house is where Velutha is staying. The next day, the police accused Velutha of killing Sophie and kidnapping the twins. The twins were afraid to tell the truth because Baby Kochamma told them that if they didn’t testify against Velutha, they will all go to jail. Eager enough to save their mother, the two testified against Velutha. Velutha then died because of his injuries.
Afraid by being exposed, Baby Kochamma convinced Chacko that Ammu and the twins are responsible for Sophie’s death. Enraged, Chacko sents her sister away. Ammu, unable to find a job, send Estha to his father. The twins got separated and never sees their mother again. Both have been damaged by their past that caused them their awkward ways. One day they meet again, and that night they made love.
____________________________________________________________________
With her native approach, Andruhati Roy has presented a prize winning novel published in 1997. A story about love, madness, hope, and joy.
From being an architect to writing TV scripts to writing a fiction close to reality, Andruhati Roy was from a Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali father whom she doesn’t want to talk much about.
___________________________________________________________________
~Summary of Text
The story primarily sets its location in Ayemenem, a town in India.
The story revolves around the fraternal twins, Rahel and Estha. At a young age of seven they were separated but then reunited at the age of 31.
Pappachi(a term which means grandfather) was the perfect father, perfect husband to other people. He was an imperial entomologist, and yes he was prominent. But one time, his discovery of new species of moths were dismissed and credited to someone else, his façade rolled down. One night, Pappachi was beating Mammachi(his wife) and was stopped by Chacko, Ammu’s brother. Since then, and until his death, Pappachi never lifted a hand to his wife and never talked to them. He also stopped Ammu into going to college, and forces her to go back to their hometown.
Ammu, lacking enough dowry for a marriage proposal, gets desperate to get away from the claws of her father. Finally, she manages to convince them to allow her spend the summer at her aunt in Calcutta. And of course, avoiding Ayemenem, she marries a man who manages a tea estate. She send letter to them, but no reply came. And so on, it was learned that this man turned out to be alcoholic and constantly beats Ammu and even tried to prostitute her so he can keep his job. Ammu couldn’t stand it that when she gave birth to the twins, she immediately went back to Ayemenem to her mother and brother.
In the house where Ammu and her mother and brother lives, also lives Baby Kochamma, who is the sister of their late father. When still young, Baby Kochamma fell in love with an Irish priest that caused her to convert and enter the convent. But when Father Mulligan was converted into Hinduism, Baby Kochamma went out of the convent but did not convert back.
Chacko, while still studying in Oxford, fell in love with an English woman named Margaret. They married and had a daughter named Sophie, but later on the two divorced because Maragaret fell in love with another man named Joe. The two are still friends though. Margaret remarries, but sadly, Joe was killed in an accident. Chacko invites his ex-wife and daughter to spend Christmas at Ayemenem. On the way to the airport, the family car was encircled with protesters, and Baby Kochamma blames her embarrassment to Velutha.
Later it was known that Ammu and Velutha have a relationship causing Velutha to be banished and Ammu to be tricked and locked into a room. Estha and Rahel, blamed by their mother tried to escape. And while they’re in the boat, wherein Sophie was with them, the boat sank causing Sophie to drown.
The twins, tired of searching Sophie, fell asleep in an abandoned house. Not knowing that the abandoned house is where Velutha is staying. The next day, the police accused Velutha of killing Sophie and kidnapping the twins. The twins were afraid to tell the truth because Baby Kochamma told them that if they didn’t testify against Velutha, they will all go to jail. Eager enough to save their mother, the two testified against Velutha. Velutha then died because of his injuries.
Afraid by being exposed, Baby Kochamma convinced Chacko that Ammu and the twins are responsible for Sophie’s death. Enraged, Chacko sents her sister away. Ammu, unable to find a job, send Estha to his father. The twins got separated and never sees their mother again. Both have been damaged by their past that caused them their awkward ways. One day they meet again, and that night they made love.
____________________________________________________________________
~Analysis of Text
Andruhati Roy has used a bold way of writing. Much of the written text was made from the viewpoint of seven-year-olds. And the story is shifted from present to past. Throughout the journey, Roy has used words unfamiliar to us. Yes, it was quite confusing yet fun at the same time. Malayalam, as they say, was the one used in conjunction to English.
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~Evaluation of Text
At first thought you may want to give up reading the book because of confusion. But as you read further, Roy takes you to different sceneries of different moods. You get to build up the emotions as if you were part. It’s long story. But give a time to read it, you’ll realize that it is indeed of small things, things happen in this world. That from small things, great problems arise. From one small attitude, creates a big fuss. And one small hatred could bring tragedy ahead.
And so, I would recommend this book to all those who want to experience a different kind of adventure. Adventure in words and places.
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