Book Club – The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things is Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize-winning debut novel, a lyrical and complex family saga set in Kerala, India, that explores forbidden love, casteism, and the impact of colonialism through the story of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel. The non-linear narrative, praised for its unique prose, follows the twins as they reunite after 23 years and confront a tragic event from their childhood—the drowning of their cousin Sophie—which was shaped by the “Love Laws” that dictate who can love whom. The novel is known for its poetic language and its examination of how small events have profound, lasting consequences.