Review by moosash - The God of Small Things

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

loved the pacing of this, first and foremost. it shifts to anecdotes from the past and present; the weight of these juxtapositions (among many others) or contexts will get heavier as the story and their milieu unravels.
let me also just mention the metaphors... THE METAPHORS... personally, this book holds some of the most visceral images that it's crazy how it attempts to translate familiar, abstract feelings and thoughts into concrete Small Things we can hold in our palms. the abstract seemingly materialize as flesh-and-blood characters/apparitions in the book that hold physical weight, and loom with effect and purpose over the ayemenem household, and in the other spaces they occupy.
the characters (in this case, the family members) were also relatable in a way, or at least represent a part of the human psyche or family dynamic that we most likely possess/are familiar with, but often sweep under the rug.
Spoiler
Ammu, their mother, described as possessing "the infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber"; the Unspoken Love Laws that lay down "who should be loved and how. And how much" + the pain and pleasure that comes with that rebellion; the heavy feeling of doom that lingers in the air after a young child unknowingly sprinkles salt in the wound of an adult, the feeling of being "loved a little less"; the small envy towards a cousin/family member that seems to be "Loved From The Very Beginning"

Content Warnings