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With sensuous prose, a dreamlike style infused with breathtakingly beautiful images and keen insight into human nature, Roy's debut novel charts fresh territory in the genre of magical, prismatic literature. Set in Kerala, India, during the late 1960s when Communism rattled the age-old caste system, the story begins with the funeral of young Sophie Mol, the cousin of the novel's protagonists, Rahel and her fraternal twin brother, Estha. In a circuitous and suspenseful narrative, Roy reveals the family tensions that led to the twins' behavior on the fateful night that Sophie drowned. Beneath the drama of a family tragedy lies a background of local politics, social taboos and the tide of history--all of which come together in a slip of fate, after which a family is irreparably shattered. Roy captures the children's candid observations but clouded understanding of adults' complex emotional lives. Rahel notices that ""at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. The Big Things lurk unsaid inside."" Plangent with a sad wisdom, the children's view is never oversimplified, and the adult characters reveal their frailties--and in one case, a repulsively evil power--in subtle and complex ways. While Roy's powers of description are formidable, she sometimes succumbs to overwriting, forcing every minute detail to symbolize something bigger, and the pace of the story slows. But these lapses are few, and her powers coalesce magnificently in the book's second half. Roy's clarity of vision is remarkable, her voice original, her story beautifully constructed and masterfully told.Read full review
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Best price Very nice book!
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One of my favourite books of all time.
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A page turner.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Such a terrible read. If you like very difficult mind numbing books, this ones for you. Roy tries to over complicate her book when it isn't necessary. 90% of this book if purely description. 5% is dialogue and the other 5% is actual storey telling. Roy gets lost somewhere along the line and tends to trail off in some parts of the book. It seems almost like a draft version. At times this book reads more like a report or an essay rather than a story book. There were way too many brackets for my liking. It seems as though Roy was unsure of how to explain certain points of detail so she had to put in explanations in brackets. If you want a good read, try Shantaram. I would probably give this book 3/10.
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