The God of Small Things

Hardcover, 455 pages

English language

Published Jan. 29, 1997 by G.K. Hall.

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (11 reviews)

The year is 1969. In the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India, fraternal twins Esthappen and Rahel 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), fled an abusive marriage to live with their blind grandmother, Mammachi (who plays Handel on her violin), their beloved uncle Chacko (Rhodes scholar, pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher), and their enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun and incumbent grandaunt). When Chacko's English ex-wife brings their daughter for a Christmas visit, the twins learn that Things Can Change in a Day. That lives can twist into new, ugly shapes, even cease forever, beside their river... --back cover

51 editions

Magnifique livre, émouvant !

5 stars

Magnifique livre, très émouvant et incroyablement bien écrit. Ce premier livre de l'auteur, si je me rappelle bien mes lectures à son sujet, fit sensation dans le monde de la littérature anglaise. Il est de fait étudié au Bac français (option littérature anglaise) 2024-2025. Le style est de réalisme magique, vu depuis les yeux de deux enfants, faux-jumeaux, qui ont développés une vision très particulière du monde, certainement par protection. Bien qu'il traite de sujets parfois sur, ce style justement permet d'éviter de se retrouver le cœur trop broyé para leurs tribulations.

The God of Small Things

3 stars

Kerala and nearly all of the characters expand into three dimensions in a story that weaves between past and present and addresses class and patriarchal structures, colonialism, family dysfunction. It's cluttered however with poetic turns of phrase that founder and repeat and grow overshadowly wearisome.

Review of 'The God of Small Things' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Till the tenth chapter, I was disconnected to the frustrating, non -linear narrative. The whole time I told the character - "people die, kid. This is not grief. Don't exaggerate. This is boring. "

The story picks up and the same annoying (remains annoying) narrative draws the reader to the dark, inside jokes. By the end, I learnt that senseless deaths are inconsolable.

The book ends beautifully. Never have I had such closure despite nothing really changing for the characters. The strongest last chapter.. Nothing else could have had that impact

avatar for annewalk@bookwyrm.club

rated it

5 stars
avatar for macr

rated it

2 stars
avatar for pizzapants

rated it

4 stars
avatar for scienced

rated it

2 stars
avatar for oobleck

rated it

5 stars

Subjects

  • Social classes -- Fiction
  • Twins -- Fiction
  • Large type books
  • India -- Fiction