There is a saying: “You don’t choose a book, the book chooses you”. This saying is true because most of the books I pick from the library are random and they happen to hold such a strong message and learning it really surprises me as if the book wanted to share it’s story with me.
Last week picked up the much acclaimed book “God of small things”. The beginning was kind of dry. However the main character was named “Ammu” (which happens to be the name all my family members call me with). The story slowly started getting interesting.
What was my feeling at the end of the book? “The book really touched me a lot. I was feeling heavy. The characters were so real. I wept, I smiled, I grieved along with all the characters. “
Arundhati Roy deals with a lot of issues in the book. Communism in Kerala, Love as a boundless feeling, Children and their perspective, Child abuse, Syrian Christians, Hinduism, Caste divisions, Male chauvinism, Siblings love, Incest between the brother and sister(voluntary and what leads them to it), kathakali, Tourism in Kerala(promoted as God’s own country). It is a beautiful narrative. It will make you think. The above issues mentioned are not new to any of us. How does society react to such things? What are the realities we all grow up in? Have we changed as a society? Or do we still cling to the age old “laws” set up by our ancestors?
More than a review of the book, I feel the book has given me lot to think about, to change and to cherish.
