The God of Small Things: Winner of the Booker Prize (1997), English fiction novel by award winning author
This commemorative edition marks two decades since Roy's extraordinary novel captured hearts worldwide. The 1997 Man Booker Prize winner has since been rendered into over forty languages, reaching millions of readers across continents. The Observer's assessment rings true: Roy crafts something rare—a narrative that achieves genuine tragic depth. Families in Kerala become the stage for exploring how history, from ancient times through colonial occupation and religious upheaval, shapes personal destinies. The novel's brilliance lies in its refusal to pinpoint a single beginning. Sophie Mol's arrival in Ayemenem might seem pivotal, yet Roy pulls the thread further back. She traces the invisible scaffolding of 'Love Laws'—those unspoken rules governing affection, connection, and belonging. What unfolds is an intimate examination of how societal structures fracture intimate bonds. With lyrical prose and an imaginative narrative structure, Roy explores what happens when lives collide against rigid social boundaries. The result is neither straightforward nor predictable; it's haunting, moving, and impossible to forget. Six million copies worldwide testify to this novel's enduring power to provoke, disturb, and ultimately transform how readers understand family, identity, and the cost of transgression.
- Author: Arundhati Roy
- Publisher: India Penguin
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
- ISBN: 978-9794614020
- Pages: 356 pages