Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

18 reviews

duskx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy unfurls like a melancholic hymn, weaving the fragility of human emotions with the relentless weight of societal expectations. Set in the verdant heart of Kerala, India, the novel traces the invisible tremors of small, fleeting moments—moments that ripple through time, shattering lives and leaving deep scars. Through this tapestry of love, loss, and caste-bound constraints, Roy paints a portrait of a family fractured by the quiet cruelty of the world around them, haunted by their own unspoken pain.

Rather than diving into the plot, I’d argue the true brilliance of this novel lies in Roy’s prose. Her writing is both lyrical and evocative, almost poetic, a fusion that captures the fragility and quiet despair of the world she constructs. Her imagery is unforgettable: crisp dead insects littering the floor, the wilted arum lilies atop the child’s coffin, the aroma of red fish curry cooked with black tamarind, the stench of old urine lingering in the air. It’s a symphony of senses, combining both beauty and decay, woven together with such precision that each line feels like an incantation.

In Roy’s hands, small moments become monumental. The sound of innocent laugh basking in sunlight, and then, almost imperceptibly, bitter lies ignite like kindling, swelling into devastating fires. A weak protest, dismissed at first, is shattered beyond repair. The narrative reverberates with gut-wrenching sobs, hollow laughter, deafening curses, and late apologies drenched in vertiginous guilt. It is a cacophony of regret that buzzes, swelling with a delirious intensity.

Slapping. Cursing. Spitting. Kicking. Stomping.

Each revelation carves deeper, unraveling the delicate threads of hope. What begins with an air of innocence and optimism spirals into a chasm—vast, dark, and unrelenting—until every flicker of light is consumed. The tension tightens gradually, each moment more harrowing than the last.

The characters are just as intricately crafted—vivid, multi-dimensional, and tethered to the weight of societal and familial expectations. Forbidden love, caste oppression, and dysfunctional familial bonds pulse through the narrative, adding complexity without sacrificing the nuanced portrayal of human emotion and interaction.

I almost put this book down at the (child) sexual assault scene, but since Rosh recommended it to me, I mustered the grit and determination to keep going. I’m glad I did because this is a must-read for anyone who appreciates literary fiction that is as beautifully written as it is socially relevant. While its fragmented structure and constant shifts in time can be disorienting, and the prose, at times, quite dense, the novel remains an essential read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

storykotori's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

pranati_pathak05's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

quinn24's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual harassment

nhewitt99's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Following the perspectives of a large family through many points in time, the style of this book is dizzying at first. Give it time, and the same qualities make it completely immersive. The prevailing story is a tragedy, yanked along by nonlinear storytelling that foreshadows every detail before it happens. It's gripping, and moving, and so difficult to put down. 

I was amazed by how many themes Roy could probe through the lens of one family, including love, modernity, history, classism, sexism, colonialism, trauma, and self determinism. Each topic is given respect and nuance via the myriad perspectives offered by the large cast of characters.

The rhetoric is beautiful and makes great use of extended metaphor and symbolism. It's also ripe with the phrase-as-adjective speech that I'm a sucker for, like deep-seaweed-feeling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Classism

tahsintries's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity

kibiiiariii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

steveatwaywords's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A mesmerizing and distressing work, with a plot which nearly gives away its ending at the start but then reverses its way through a labyrinth of relationships and childhood impressions to reveal itself at last. Just a remarkable telling, with adversaries who are broken and real, silent personal histories which work themselves too powerfully, and the delusions we all share about ourselves and our potentials. 

While Roy's early work has its occasional missteps (an awkward metaphor or seeming senseless aside rarely), her weaving of the smallest innocence (for instance, a refrain from Popeye the Sailor) into a more tragic signaling slowly trains readers to understand the nuances of perception working upon the tragic events which unfold. I have seldom read anything quite so unique and powerful in its originality. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Incest, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse

jellyparfum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

mxpringle's review

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail