![]() ![]() Immune to systems and ideologies, the novel ultimately finds grace only at the micro-level intimacy of a mother – who may not even be genetically female, let alone a biological parent – caring for a child. But it breaks up the subcontinental jigsaw into fragments of a “shattered story”, then defies us to piece it together in a better, more humane way than the men of power have ever done. Well, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness goes to many places you would expect such a vehicle to visit – from the bloody insurgency in Kashmir to the ascent of Hindu nationalism and the unending urban “war of the rich against the poor”. Allies, and enemies, will therefore look forward to a humdinger state-of-the nation novel, fairy-lights flashing and horns tootling like the illuminated trucks and buses that scarily speed past you on Indian highways at night. The years between have seen her blossom as a thorny, courageous outlier in India’s cultural and political landscape: an activist, a polemicist, a one-woman awkward squad. ![]() Two decades after her debut enchanted the reading world, Arundhati Roy now stands in the intimidating shade of “Great Indian Novel” expectations. Both a smart historical satire, and a pastiche of the ancient epics, his witty effort mocked all claims to final authority in fiction – even as it coyly tried them on for size. More than two decades ago, the writer- politician Shashi Tharoor published The Great Indian Novel. ![]()
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