Arundhati Roy books that are recognized worldwide and a must-read for Indians
Her layered writing and common subjects make her the best
Born as Suzanna Arundhati Roy, the author is best known for her 1997 novel “The God of Small Things” that won her the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the same year. Post this prize the novel became the best-selling book by a non-expatriate Indian author. The unique thing about Roy as an author is her layered narrations and in-depth understanding of a character laid out in words.
Not just a writer, Roy is also a political activist who has been actively involved in causes like human rights and environmental issues and has with ease brought these topics in her writing. And what makes Roy stand apart from the rest of the Indian authors is her straightforwardness. The author has never shielded from putting forth her thought and commentary on politicians, and the class and caste conflicts in India. The reason it makes it all the more interesting to read her work.
The God of Small Things
Roy’s debut book that earned her a Booker Prize, is a story that revolves around the childhood experiences of twins Esthappen and Rahel who come to experience various issues of the caste system – Keralite Syrian Christian lifestyle and communism in their living. The book took four years to complete. This book shook the world with its rebellious strike. The book through the twin’s journey brings to fore the unimaginable amount of discrimination that still exists in the 21st century.
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
This is Roy’s second novel after The God Of Small Things, and is a love story but not with the cliché happy ending. The story revolves around Anjun who runs a guesthouse in an Old Delhi graveyard and a course of his job meets a lot of people who are completely lost and broken. Apart from him, the novel brings an unusual array of characters including a transgender, an activist, journalists, and officers.
Capitalism: A Ghost Story
This book brings to the fore and discusses the darker side of democracy in contemporary India. This also presents acts of poverty and scarcity of food that will force one to think after spending a lot on a vacation or an expensive item. The book beautifully explores the demand for globalized capitalism leading to racism and exploitation among the poor class of society.
Walking With The Comrades
This is Roy’s thrust with the Naxalite situation in India. She has drawn criticism for her vocal support of Maoist-supported Naxalite insurgency groups, which she summarized in this book in 2011. The book basically takes readers to the unseen front lines of this battle, with the rebellious guerrillas in the forests.
Roy’s other works that deserve a read is Broken Republic: Three Essays, War Talk, The End of Imagination and The Cost of Living.