The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

2017 • 464 pages

Ratings24

Average rating3.6

15

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.

May 23, 2019Report this review