"Never again will a single story be told
as though it's the only one."
- John Berger
My Cultures and Canons class has been one of my favorite
literature classes so far in college, partially because its purpose is to stray
away from the typical Eurocentric literary canon (which includes Shakespeare,
Dickens, authors we’ve all read before) and focus on mostly
postcolonial novels. I just finished reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
for this class, and it was one of the most unique, captivating, and emotional books I’ve read in a long time.
The story is complex, mostly because the book’s events
do not unfold chronologically. Within the first few chapters, readers know the
outcome of the novel without knowing how exactly these situations arise. We’re
introduced to Rahel and Estha, twins, at the age of 31 in 1993, but know they
have been separated (and Estha has been silent) since 1969, when the main
events of the novel occur.
The novel is beautifully crafted linguistically and allows
readers to see the world mainly through the eyes of a child, whose innocence
casts a heartbreaking shadow over the tragedies that unfold. My professor also
mentioned that this novel could be categorized as a piece of “ecocriticism,” meaning
it focuses widely on the environment’s role in the storyline and, specifically
in The God of Small Things, India’s
environment and its role in a
post-British Imperialist setting. The story that unravels in the village of
Ayemenem is one of loss and despair, and there are definitely some parts that
are difficult, emotionally, to read. Still, I highly recommend this
novel. It’s the first book I’ve read for a college class that has actually
brought me to tears and, if you don’t mind taking a ride on an emotional roller
coaster, I suggest you pick up The God of
Small Things today.
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