The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Ratings24
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings24
Average rating3.6
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018 AND THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017 'A sprawling kaleidoscopic fable' Guardian, Book of the Year * 'A dazzling return to form' Independent THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER FROM THE BOOKER-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS 'An astonishing intimate epic. This is the novel one hoped Arundhati Roy would write about India' Daily Telegraph 'At magic hour; when the sun has gone but the light has not, armies of flying foxes unhinge themselves from the Banyan trees in the old graveyard and drift across the city like smoke . . .' So begins The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Arundhati Roy's incredible follow-up to The God of Small Things. We meet Anjum, who used to be Aftab, who runs a guesthouse in an Old Delhi graveyard and gathers around her the lost, the broken and the cast out. We meet Tilo, an architect, who, although she is loved by three men, lives in a 'country of her own skin'. When Tilo claims an abandoned baby as her own, her destiny and that of Anjum become entangled as a tale that sweeps across the years and a teeming continent takes flight . . . 'Glorious, colourful and compelling. Roy's second novel proves as remarkable as her first' Financial Times 'The book filled me with awe. Propulsive, playful, gorgeous' New York Times Book Review 'The unmissable literary read of the summer. With its insights into human nature, its memorable characters and its luscious prose, Ministry is well worth the wait' Time 'Staggeringly beautiful - a fierce, fabulously disobedient novel. Roy is writing at the height of her powers. Urgent, intimate ecstatic' Boston Globe 'A searing portrait of modern India' Tatler 'This vast novel will leave you awed by the heat of its anger and the depth of its compassion' Washington Post
Reviews with the most likes.
Difficult to review on the basis of not knowing enough about India to understand the references. This is quite a challenging, dense novel, nevertheless the warmth of the author shines through in the way the characters are depicted, and the language and poetry is beautiful. It is difficult at times, however, particularly in the way that the timeline jumps around and is from multiple perspectives. I think I probably should have devoted more time to reading it, but it was a quick read at the library and had to go back. I think it may be appreciated better a second time.
I'm not sure my memory is accurate, but I recall loving “The God of Small Things” more. Still, plenty here to savor and reflect on in this pleasurable novel. It's a truly a sweeping story in terms of scope, traversing much of India both historically and geographically. Roy is very skilled at integrating political realities into this work in ways that don't feel pedantic; I realized quickly that I was going to need to learn a lot more about the history of Kashmir to really appreciate some elements of the story, and I'm glad to have done so. There are so many main characters that I sometimes felt I didn't care enough about each of them as I might have if there were fewer, and a few of them were interesting but lacking in interiority. Overall, a good read well-suited for traveling.
Very political and incredibly dense (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but it took a long time to wade through and was tough going.
The more I think about this book, the more I like it. I may come back and award it another star later, but right now I'm giving it 3. At first read, it can seem like the book has no central plot—just a huge cast of characters, some of them quirky and lovable, some of them creepy and evil, some of them noble heroes, meandering around and getting caught up in the conflicts of the day. That's not exactly wrong. But I am caught by the realization that the story begins in an abandoned graveyard that is a lonely, desolate place, and ends in that same graveyard that has become a haven, a place of safety for people who were at the end of their ropes.
Also, the meandering between the beginning and the end is so enjoyable to read. The many stories that are told are rich, sad, but hopeful. Some of the strands are about transgender women and their place in India, Muslim/Hindu relations, the disputed region of Kashmir, the caste system, environmental degradation. There's more, and there's even a character on a hunger strike who is adopted as a symbol for almost every protest cause there is, even causes that conflict with each other.
So, it might feel like The Ministry of Utmost Happiness has no plot, but it does. It has many plots that lead to the same place: a place of safety and hope for those who have been through heartbreak and despair and need a place to rest.
