#thegodofsmallthings

[rainfallsonwednesday]

“And when we look in through the windows, all we see are shadows. And when we try and listen, all we hear is a whispering. And we cannot understand the whispering, because our minds have been invaded by a war. A war that we have both won and lost. The very worst sort of war. A war that captures dreams and re-dreams them. A war that has made us adore our conquerors and despise ourselves.”

[closetbibliophilesandbookworms]

“The God Of Small Things” by:  Arundhati Roy. Manbooker Prize 1997

The God Of Small Things was the first book that was on my list of Manbooker Prize Awardees, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was lying around unread, untouched and secondly, and more importantly for me,  because it was by An Indian Female author.(excuse me, for being a patriot! ) 

In her book, Miss Roy, brings forth a colourful world narrated in a psychedelic fashion, viewed from the eyes of children, set in the town of Ayemenem, Kerala. The narrative is disruptive shifting between the past and the present which requires attentive and focused reading. The book, delves into the issues of casteism, misogyny, racism , post colonial hangover, and anglophilia, (an issue that plagues the parents and grandparents of most Indian Youth even today.), brought forth through the wit, charm and unassuming eyes of the fraternal twins, Rahel and Esthappen. Reading the book has left me with a number of thought provoking issues, and a glimpse of how writing can make even imaginary sights and smells, real enough to stimulate your prefrontal and olfactory cortex, and with that I’ll leave you with a quote from the book which, I hope, will warrant you to begin reading the book immediately.

“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don’t deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don’t surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover’s skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don’t. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you live as though you won’t. In the Great Stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn’t. And yet you want to know again. That is their mystery and their magic.“ 

By Dr. Nivedita Kharkongor Chengappa

[mothyca]

" She wore flowers in her hair and carried magic secrets in her eyes. She spoke to no one. She spent hours on the riverbank. She smoked cigarettes and had midnight swims..." #flowers #thegodofsmallthings #silverhair #vintage #minimal #witch #magic (at Nauplie, Grèce)

[existentialthoughtswithlitha]

“The way her body existed only where he touched her. The rest of her was smoke.” -Arundhati Roy The trouble with concurrent reading. I also know how it is to be loved a little less. #arundhatiroy #TheGodofSmallThings #WOCwriters (at Observatory, Western Cape, South Africa)

[lolablackwrites]

. . . . . #quotes #quoteinspiration #arundhatiroy #thegodofsmallthings #amwriting #nanowrimo

[thebooksatchel]

Friday night plans? We spent a significant number of hours playing Fruit Ninja, probably the only e-game that I have played. Fruit ninja, cold Tang and takeaway biryani coloured our Friday, not necessarily in that order. - - #qotd : What games do you play on your phone or comp? Was your Friday exciting or ordinary? - - The last and final discussion on #tbsgodofsmallthingsreadalong will be up tomorrow. Don't forget to come and tell me what made you love it, like it, hate it. - Happy weekend . . . #books #breakfast #foodinsta #onmytable #flower_daily #thegodofsmallthings #arundhatiroy #bookwormlife #currylover #tea #teaaddict #theweeknd

[unabridgedbookstore]

#unabridgedbookoftheweek THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS is Arundhati Roy’s dazzling first novel, an ambitious meditation on the decline and fall of a fractured family, part psychological family drama, part fairy tale, part political fable. It is heartbreaking, tragic, and sometimes brutal, yet filled with a sense of aliveness, the horror mixed with scenes of extraordinary happiness and unbearable tenderness. Mythic, haunting, and exuberant, THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS evokes feelings of gratitude and wonder and awe. Reread this winner of the 1997 Booker Prize in anticipation of Roy’s second novel, THE MINISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPINESS, which hits shelves next Tuesday, June 6th. ✨ #arundhatiroy #thegodofsmallthings (at Unabridged Bookstore)

[paintingsforants]

Prints of the final piece in my #tinytuesdays collection are now for sale. Link in profile. 🌸🌿 #thegodofsmallthings #arundhatiroy #paintingsforants (at Cape Town, Western Cape)