I've had this book on my reading list for years now, and finally got round to picking it up from Kobo a week ago. It has been well regarded by a lot of people i've known and it's been recommended by too many, and now I understand why. It is masterfully written.
There is an overarching theme of family politics that would have given R.D. Laing plenty to think about. The characters, the members of this family, are given the room to be fully developed as believable, all too real in the dynamics of the family institution. Even so, the foci of the story are the 'two-egg twins' Rahel and Estha, and the narrative style lends itself well to viewing the world from a childs perspective. The constant repetiton has the character of thoughts, anxieties and wishes, bubbling to the surface unbidden. I'm rambling because I'm not quite sure how to put in to words all the different thoughts I have right now.
Aside from the famly politics, and influenced heavily by them, are the visit of a cousin, Sophie Mol and her inevitable death (telegraphed early but with a slow build up of tension as the event is revealed), and the death of an untouchable employee of the family, Velutha. There is a brutal demonstration of the injustice of the caste system, and absolutely no balancing of that injustice. Blame and guilt could be handed out to most of the characters in some way, but the real world doesn't get clean resolutions, and neither here. The 'villain' of the story gets no comeuppence, and the innocent are brushed aside...they leave no footprints. It feels like I'm cheapening the art by trying to summarise this story, and I don't think I'm doing it in a very coherent way anyway, so i'll stop now.
I think I'll have to see if Arundhati Roy has written any other books, although I can't imagine she'll reach these heights again.
Finished reading - 04/07/26