Resumo de The God Of Small Things

As an avid reader and writer, I try to look for books that will make a difference.

This fiction-work has much to recommend it, and as much to dissuade me from any other literary offerings by Ms. Roy.T

This book is several tales in one: of two children, fraternal 'egg-twins' Rahel and Estha are age seven then age thirty, coping with adults who do not understand them, and the non-vocal communication that binds them. It is also a tale of two lovers, Velutha who is a handsome Untouchable carpenter and the lovely divorcee Ammu, the children's mother. The fascination they share lasts from childhood until adulthood when each has entered an appointed role, one chosen by society. This is also a tale of the bitterness of a woman denied love, their aunt, Baby Kochamma whose unrequited passion for a priest when she was a young woman turns into a nut held tightly in her soul, hard and unyielding to any others.

There is abuse of children, of wives, of trust, of power, of bonds that should protect and bind but don't.

Ms. Roy has a concept of richness of language that puts the purple prose of many Western authors to shame.

The God of Small Things has time for the details and the minor gaffs, it is better off not to be noticed by the God of Large Things.

Ms. Roy also makes several fledgling author errors that jolt the reader. One is of leaving out simple explanations to those unfamiliar with Indian society, the language, and customs. Another is unnecessary capitalization as if a child wanted to emphasize certain terms without caring for logic or grammar. In both cases, the reader skids to a halt with unknown terms and flagged ones ruining a smooth sometimes gripping read. Example: the entire book refers to Mol and Mon for the children. Is that 'young woman' and 'young man', or an honorific to a higher caste child like 'Miss' and 'Master? Is it a common middle name? No, it's girl and boy. That is never explained within the book. Was this a slant from Jamaica with 'Mon' for man? No, that wasn't it either. I guessed and was wrong on most counts because Ms. Roy didn't take the time and a few extra words to let the reader know. This may be a provincial point, but as a writer of fiction and fantasy myself, if I make up a word, I give the explanation or a sample that is clear. This lack of showing unfamiliar terms was detrimental to the flow of the book, causing me to mentally trip at every encounter.

Ms Roy's chapters jump back and forth in an awkward manner between years and characters. Early on there is a funeral. Half a book later, the person is dead. Rahel and Estha go from age 7 to 30 to 7 in a chronological roller coaster.I never know what year it is in real time. I am left floating with references to people having a TV though was TV in its infancy when it appeared in the house or not? Planes carry people but are they the modern airliners, 747s, or the ungainly beasts of fifty years ago? There is abject poverty and stultifying details that focus in as on a grain of sand when the desert is full of such and that grain is such an insignificant chit, no one needs to care.

Where were the editors for the Small Things?

If you're going to read this, borrow it from the library or a friend. Don't waste money buying it.

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