Set in Kerala, India, The God of Small Things centers on the Syrian Christian Ipe family and particularly on fraternal twins Rahel and Estha. The story unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, weaving together their childhood in 1969 and adulthood in 1993. As children, their lives are dramatically changed by the arrival of their English cousin, Sophie Mol, and by their mother Ammu's forbidden affair with Velutha, a lower-caste worker at the family’s pickle factory.
The accidental drowning of Sophie Mol becomes a pivotal tragedy, which is followed by Baby Kochamma’s false accusation against Velutha. He is brutally punished by the police, and Estha is manipulated into implicating him. These traumatic events lead to the twins’ separation, Ammu’s ostracism and death, and leave lasting scars on the family. Years later, Rahel returns home and is reunited with Estha, who has been silenced by childhood trauma. Their renewed bond culminates in an intimate act that symbolically breaks the “Love Laws” and represents their continued struggle against societal constraints.
The novel explores themes of forbidden love, caste discrimination, social injustice, colonial legacies, trauma, and the complexities of family relationships. Through vivid prose and a fragmented timeline, Roy illustrates how small actions and social rules can have profound consequences on individual lives, marking The God of Small Things as a powerful and poetic critique of Indian society.
Originally published: 1997
Author: Arundhati Roy
Genres: Novel, Domestic Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Characters: Estha, Aleyooty Ammachi, Rahel, Ammu, Baba
Original language: English
Awards: Booker Prize (1997)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke is a collection of ten letters written between 1903 and 1908 to Franz Xaver Kappus, a young officer cadet seeking advice on poetry and life. Rilke refuses to critique Kappus’s poems directly, instead counseling him to look inward for artistic guidance rather than relying on external criticism. Throughout the letters, Rilke addresses themes like solitude, patience, self-reflection, and the necessity of embracing one’s feelings—even sadness and doubt—as sources of personal and creative growth. He suggests that real artistic work comes from living authentically and drawing inspiration from one’s own inner life and experiences. Rilke discusses the maturation process for both love and art, emphasizing the importance of allowing things to ripen in their own time. Ultimately, the letters encourage the reader to trust in themselves and the creative process, making the book a profound meditation on art, identity, and the journey of becoming.
Originally published: 2006
Author: Shaun Tan
Genres: Graphic novel, Comics, Novel, Fiction
Pages: 128
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