Through this book, I have discovered a master audiobook narrator. Aysha Kala did an amazing job of voicing the many characters with their individual personalities and ages and brought a certain musicality to the book which I feel complemented Roy’s writing style. She also seemed to know her way around Malayalam, which was wonderful to hear. When I say I enjoyed this book, I’m not even sure if it was the novel or the narration that contributed more to this experience! Aysha Kala has narrated quite a few audiobooks so I will definitely be looking out for her name in future, in sha Allah.

As for the novel itself, I have come to remember why listening to literary fiction is not a great idea if I want to really appreciate the creativity and depth of the writing. Arundhati Roy has a very elaborate style full of wordplay and clever imagery, but I knew I wasn’t able to take it all in with the audiobook format. Even so, I very much enjoyed what I did absorb and can only imagine that it would be even more impactful in the written format, for me at least.

This novel is of course very well known so there’s no need for me to describe the plot in detail. In a sentence, it follows a pair of twins born into a reasonably well-off family in Kerala and, through them and their family, explores in often subtle ways the impact of politics and the weakness of human nature on the most vulnerable of society – in this case, children, “untouchables” and, to some extent, single mothers. India’s caste system is in particular focus. I found the story very touching at several points, especially the relationship between the twins and their mother and the various injustices brought upon the children. I thought one of the biggest strengths of this book was Roy’s ability to render the children’s voices accurately and evocatively, allowing us to understand their feelings in the kinds of indirect way of children who themselves don’t fully appreciate what they are feeling or why. The quality of the descriptions of place also fully immersed me in the setting and I always found myself with a vivid image before my eyes.

The Goodreads ratings for this book are noticeably polarised, with most people either lauding it as one of the best books they’ve ever read or hating it. Personally, I tend towards the praising side, mainly due to the strength of the writing and the subtle complexity of the characters, but wouldn’t say it’s a book that will come first to mind when recommending something to read. If I do recommend it, I will do so with a content warning as the book ends with two unexpectedly explicit scenes that you might want to skip through.