When I finished the Kite Runner, I wanted another book that would keep me headed in a similar direction. Now, I don't know what direction that is, but I think I wanted a book that would be a page-turner. Several reviewers compared Kite Runner to God of Small Things (GOST). So I picked this book. It is not a page-turner. It is not an easy read. It takes time to understand the characters. While some characters are well introduced, some aren't. The characters are definitely interesting esp the twins Rahel and Estha. The book is not in the first person like Kite Runner, so I was a little annoyed initially. The plot takes some turns but nothing that makes you jump off your seat. The only similarity I see between GOST and KR is "guilt". Everything else is different. There are a lot of metaphors used and it may come in the way of your reading pace. I did not think this book was exceptional but who knows, you may enjoy it. It probably requires a certain kind of reader to appreciate it and I may not be one of them.Maybe my review is more biased since I read KR right before this and enjoyed it immensely.
1 comment:
God of small things is probably the most amazing book ever written and not just because it comes straight from the heart. Roy has lived every character, and has made us live them too. Kite runner is inspired in no small measure by this one. God of.. seems to have been written because there was a story to tell, not because an author was looking for a subject to write a book on. Its a booker bible, every asian author wanting one studies it to extract the formula. Diligently, noting the anglophile, the guilt, place of women in society, innocence of kids, violence of authority etc to do a mix and match. (eg Kiran desai's Inheritance of loss") but this is the original and it shows.
Post a Comment