Arundhati Roy's novel is breathtakingly beautiful. It is poetry masquerading as prose. Its evocation of the hot and brooding atmosphere of Ayemenem overlaid with the complex cultural and political conflicts of the time rivals the Heart of Darkness to which the book refers several times. The innocent worldviews of the twin children are simply devastating when viewed against the backdrop of an inevitably tragic destiny. Inevitable because love is not always enough to overcome centuries of prejudice.
This magnificent work of art is also an expression of Indian culture and language. One is able to peer into the best and the worst of millennia of Indian history. The language is so full of sound, rhythm, and imagery that one can almost hear it in Mayalayam. Roy is truly a gifted writer. I hope I can read a Filipino novel that similarly impresses on so many levels.
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