A guide to reading Arundhati Roy: From ‘The God of Small Things’ to ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’
From Booker-winning fiction to incendiary essays, Arundhati Roy has emerged as a defiant voice in literature and politics. With her first memoir arriving, here’s how to navigate her remarkable body of work.
Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, will release her first memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me. (Source: Penguin) Author, essayist and political activist Arundhati Roy has released her first memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me. Written after the death of her mother, Mary, an educator, activist and formidable presence in her daughter’s life, the book promises to be both an intimate reckoning and a continuation of Roy’s lifelong project to chart the entanglement of love, politics and freedom.
For those new to Roy, or for readers keen to revisit her work, here is a guide to where to begin.
The novels
Arundhati Roy’s fiction includes The God of Small Things (1997) and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017). (Source: Penguin)
The God of Small Things (1997)
Roy’s debut novel was a sensation. A Booker prize winner that went on to sell millions, it is set in Kerala and tells the story of twins, Rahel and Estha, and the “Love Laws” that destroy their family. Lyrical, experimental and heartbreaking, it remains a touchstone of postcolonial literature, and a reminder of Roy’s ability to turn local tragedy into universal resonance.
Arundhati Roy’s nonfiction that cemented her role as a critic of power. (Source: Penguin)
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