“Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Suddenly, they become the bleached bones of a story.”
I read this one for the #rorygilmorebookclub for the May prompt. As I review the list more and more, it becomes clearer that Rory didn’t read diversly, so the options for some prompts only have a handful of options. I’m glad I chose this because it was thought-provoking, breaks conventions of form and language, and is an intricately woven tale of family, the Caste system, and a tragic saga that begins at its chronological end.
Synopsis: “The year is 1969. In the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India, a skyblue Plymouth with chrome tailfins is stranded on the highway amid a Marxist workers’ demonstration. Inside the car sit two-egg twins Rahel and Esthappen, and so begins their tale. . . .”
Social mores, local politics, family history, love, grief, happiness, spirituality, and more are all addressed in this book and it requires the reader’s full attention. This book isn’t for every reader. If you don’t enjoy the first few chapters, I’d recommend DNFing or setting it aside for a bit. It’s a difficult read, but the writing is compelling and demands readers engage with the horrors that the characters experience. I’m partial to writers who break convention, and Roy’s writing tests the boundaries of storytelling, just as her characters test the boundaries of their morality. It’s a tale showing the full spectrum of the human condition.
This is a modern classic and, after reading it, I think that label is deserved.
Have you read this? 💛
Read It Like Rory 