India · Literary fiction
The God of Small Things
In Ayemenem, Kerala, twins Estha and Rahel grow up within a family whose private life is governed by rules about caste, respectability and who may love whom. Moving between childhood and its aftermath, Roy reveals how a series of intimate decisions becomes a lasting family tragedy.
The river, the family house and the surrounding landscape are inseparable from the story. Small sensations and remembered gestures carry the weight of larger histories. This is a richly textured journey into a particular place, where childhood wonder and social violence exist close together.
Family; Caste; Childhood; Memory