The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

I finished reading Arundhati Roy's award-winning The God of Small Things almost 2 weeks ago, but I've been procrastinating on writing a review for several different reasons. First, I can't stop watching the Olympics! I am a fairly competitive person, I grew up playing sports (as did my 3 siblings), and I just love watching these amazing athletes! Second, I've been rather bogged down in reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. I don't dislike the book, but it is long and requires rather slow reading. Lastly, I don't exactly know what I think about The God of Small Things. It was the 2nd book for my (in real life) book club, and a perfect example of why I wanted to be in a book club. I probably wouldn't have ever picked up this book to read on my own, but I'm glad I did. This is a book that NEEDS to be discussed with others.


Rahel and Estha are "two egg twins" who both have vivid imaginations and don't even need to talk to communicate with each other. The majority of the story takes place in Ayemenem, India, when they are seven years old, and the entire book revolves around the happenings of one single day. The occurrences of the day are not told in chronological order AT ALL! In fact, in the first few pages of the book, we learn that Sophie Mol has died. Who Sophie Mol is, how she came to be in Ayemenem, how she died, and how that affected the twins for the rest of their lives is what the rest of the book entails.


Though I was curious to piece together the events of that fateful day, I was mostly captivated with Roy's writing. Her descriptions are incredibly vivid, whether she was describing clothing, what a building looks like, or even how a particular noise sounded. Most of the descriptive language is from the perspective of a seven-year old--a smart, imaginative seven year old-- "Rahel found a whole column of juicy ants. They were on their way to church. All dressed in red. They had to be killed before they got there. Squished and squashed with a stone. You can't have smelly ants in church. The ants made a faint crunchy sound as life left them. Like an elf eating toast, or a crisp biscuit" (176).


However great her descriptions, Roy's use of repetition and the way she places words together to form new words is what is most interesting to me about her writing. When I think back on reading this book, I know I will remember several phrases because of their frequent appearance on the pages, such as "things can change in a day," "Locust stand I," "Not old. Not young. But a viable die-able age," and the most haunting, "loved a little less." All of these phrases represent the major themes within the story.

This was not a fast read for me. I had to get used to Roy's writing, and I frequently re-read passages to try to understand the meaning behind the words. The story is not a happy one, and there are several rather disturbing events throughout the book. However, I am glad to have read it, and as I have not read very many books set in India, this was a learning experience for me as well. Arundhati Roy is an excellent writer, and I believe this is a book that I could read again. Since I now know the order of events, so I won't be trying to figure out what happened, I could focus on the writing and the allusions within the book.

Date completed: August 11, 2008
# of pages: 321

Other reviews:
Trish's Reading Nook, Things Mean a Lot, Reflections of Me, Caribousmom

1984 by George Orwell

Though I finished reading George Orwell's "reverse utopian" novel 1984 several days ago, I've been putting off writing the review for several reasons. First, I don't exactly know what to say about this book. It took me two entire weeks to read this relatively short book because I was unusually busy, but also because I did not look forward to reading it. I had to force myself to pick it up and concentrate. The second reason I've put off the review is that I know I'm not going to do the book justice. Because I was really busy, I really just needed a good story to read. While 1984 does have a main character, Winston Smith, the book is far deeper than this one man's story. I skimmed over several passages in the book because I was impatient, and I found them to be dry, but I know if I would have spent the time, I probably would have better understood what Orwell was saying through his book. So, I apologize for my review ahead of time--I'll try to find links to good reviews to share!

Society in 1984 is run by a totalitarian government. There are 3 classes of people--the smallest group, yet the people with the most power and privilege is the Inner Party. The Outer Party have very few creature comforts, but they work in government office-type jobs. The remaining class, which make up 85% of the population, are the "proles." They are looked down upon as unintelligent, and have hard labor-type jobs. Though English is still spoken, many words have been completely dropped off, with the introduction of "Newspeak." The goal is to have a language that is so easy and has so few words that people really don't have to think very much at all, and there is literally no way to have thoughts of words such as "freedom." Along with the language, the past is slowly being wiped out. Books of all types have been altered to remove anything that is not in alignment with the Party. Reading, writing, thinking, and feeling are not only discouraged, but punishable.

There are three major powers in the world at this time--Oceania (the setting of 1984), Eurasia, and Eastasia. The three powers are constantly at war. Who Oceania is at war with, and who they are allied with changes frequently, but no one really pays attention. People's lives are devoid of emotion, fun, and free-will. They do exactly what they should be doing, according to the Party (Big Brother), as they are constantly watched from the ever present telescreens and/or hidden microphones that are in homes, at work, and even outside in the woods. People that deviate are "vaporized" and their names are erased from any records--as if they never existed.

Winston Smith, an average 39-year-old Outer Party member is unhappy with this life and occasionally has flashbacks to his childhood when things were different. He knows the history books aren't accurate, as his job is to actually update the past events to make them parallel with the Party's agenda. He only takes part in the Party rituals, such as the Two Minutes Hate, because he doesn't want to disappear forever, to become and "unperson." He lives in constant fear, and knows he can't trust anyone...until he meets Julia. It is only after he begins spending time with her (which completely isn't allowed), that Winston really learns what happiness could be like, as well as what the Party is capable of.

Imagining this world of despair and loneliness is depressing. I'm glad that even though we are well past the year 1984, our world is not even close to the dreary place pictured in the novel. Well, actually, I don't know...maybe someone is watching us through our televisions...

Read other reviews: (please let me know if you've read and reviewed it, and I'll add your link).
The Hidden Side of a Leaf
The Inside Cover
Thoughts, Books, and Philosophy



Date Completed: July 20, 2008
# of pages: 308

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

We know very little about the narrator of this story--we never even learn her real name. What we do know is that she is a woman in her early thirties, who at one time had a husband and daughter. Actually, at one time, she had pretty much everything the rest of us have-family, friends, a job, a pet, a bank account, books, a driver's licence, free will. When we meet her, her circumstances have changed in a drastic way. Women can no longer read, write, use money or hold jobs. They must behave in a very particular manner, and perform the duties of their specific roles. Though there is a hierarchy of women, none have freedom or any real power--except for the few who have power over other women. It is common for the women to either commit suicide or lose their minds. No one really knows what is going on, and how this all happened. The question our narrator faces is this..is it better to simply go with the flow, do as she's told, don't think, remember, dream; OR should she look for little ways to rebel--make friendships, look at a magazine, sneak out at night?? In the end...will it really matter?

Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, written in 1983, paints the picture of our world taken to an extreme and then twisted a little more. Some say it can be taken as a warning. There are definitely elements in the novel that I can see becoming reality. Paper money, for instance--I can see in the not too distant future, paper money and coins becoming obsolete. Personally, I rarely use cash these days--plastic is much more convenient. However, I cannot imagine a world without written words. I do not want to imagine such a world.

From start to finish, I found The Handmaid's Tale difficult to put down. Atwood does not open the story with an explanation of what is going on, but instead, the reader must figure out as best as possible what the time period is, who is narrating and what has happened to alter the "normal" way of life. The way Atwood wrote the story is truly as though the reader is in the narrator's mind. There are passages that are similar to stream of consiousness. For example, "I wait, for the household to assemble. Household: that is what we are. The Commander is the head of the household. The house is what he holds. To have and to hold, till death do us part. The hold of a ship. Hollow" (81). This type of writing really makes the reader feel as though she is following the narrator through her thoughts. Oftentimes, as can be expected, her thoughts are lonely, depressed, "You can wet the rim of a glass and run your finger around the rim and it will make a sound. This is what I feel like: this sound of glass. I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone" (103).

What has happened to our narrator is utterly sad. But the small ray of light in this society is that though the women have been reduced to function solely for one basic purpose, they still have the power of their minds. There is an underground resistance. There is still hope for the future.

The story ends with a giant question mark, which tends to bother me. It makes me feel better when all the loose ends are tied up in a pretty little bow. However, such a thought-provoking book must end in a way to keep the reader pondering. I know this story will stay with me for quite some time. I definitely will be picking up other Atwood books!

Date completed: May 21, 2008

# of pages: 295

4.5/5 stars

*If you've read and reviewed this book, please let me know, and I'll include your link.