My Impression From the First Paragraph

Ayemenem
Photo from: http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/media/the-god-of-small-things/timeline/CE1961_01_lg.jpg

The description in the first paragraph, to me, is breathtaking. I am excited to read this book already not only because I am interested in Indian culture, but because I enjoy Roy's writing style from the start. The images of "red banana's ripen[ing]" in the "fruity air" and "black crows gorg[ing] on bright mangoes" are enticing and exciting. At the same time, I get a sense of foreboding. There is also gloomy imagery present in the description of the "hot, brooding" and "humid" atmosphere. The "dissolute bluebottles" that "stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die" presents the reader with a very early example of death in the novel, which sets me up to anticipate some form of pain or suffering throughout the course of the novel that follows. Either way, I look forward to experiencing an author I have never read before and seeing what she has to offer.

To learn more about Arundhati Roy as an author and her other work, visit this website.