The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)

This post is long overdue but I needed to think about the novel for some time before compiling any sort of review. In all honesty I feel like I shouldn't really write one until I read the novel again but that seems like it will be many months away considering my current schedule and reading list. For the reason of not wanting to delay it any further, I'm now making my attempt at this review.

For the record this is Arundhati Roy's second novel, after an immense gap of 20 years (see note) and was published by Hamish Hamilton (Penguin) in 2017. The hardback copy is 445 pages including acknowledgements and 438 without, making it a pretty chunky read; I can't say I didn't wish I had it in a kindle edition just for that reason (there is one by the way). The novel is divided into 12 chapters, plus a short passage prior to chapter one. I will discuss her style as well as some of the key issues or themes she deals with, although a blog post is far from sufficient.

Roy begins the novel with a short passage on how consumerism is harming the environment. This issue is revisited especially at the end of the novel, although it is one of many threads and is linked closely to her political stance. She raises so many issues concerning the effects of modernisation, consumerism and capitalism, especially on the poor, which are linked to her arguments from non-fiction.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness begins in Dehli, India where we follow the story of a transgender woman, Anjum previously Aftab. I found myself quite "settled" into the novel when Roy changes the scene and begins the parallel plot in Kashmir. My knowledge of the Kashmir affair is vague, at best, and Roy illustrates just how much of a nuanced and delicate issue it is. This definitely made it heavy reading despite the captivating narrative and suspense. She is clearly well-informed and has produced an insight into a region that has been in a state of conflict for decades.

In terms of style Roy uses both the first person narrative as well as an omniscient narrator. She uses a very different writing style to The God of Small Things and shifts in chronology (flashbacks and flashforwards) thus allowing the reader to recreate the order of events. Her writing is full of wit, sarcasm and beautiful turns of phrase.; it's a pleasure to read. I believe she used layers of microcosms with Anjum's internal turmoil reflected in Kashmir, which is a microcosm for the problems affecting India, which is in itself a microcosm of the global crises we face.

Roy doesn't shy away from addressing some sensitive yet core social issues. She makes consistent references to the social relationships between Hindus and Muslims in India, including some severe political consequences. She raises awareness on the increased religious discrimination towards Muslims in India and in other parts of the world. One of the ways she made this novel so rich is by including various beliefs and cultures- from shrine visiting to references to jinn and witchcraft and omens- which highlight the complex and nuanced mentalities of the people, which affect how people live with one another in a context of differences.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is a dark, dense and richly crafted novel. It is about love and heartbreak in the broadest sense and of all types. I struggled with this novel because while it is fiction, it is based on some of the harshest realities and truths of our modern world. It provokes thoughts on who we are in the novel: those who contribute to the conflict and chaos or those who attempt to relieve it. It ends on a note of hope, yet I'm not really sure how hopeful it really is. This is definitely an important read and a reality check packaged in fiction.

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Note: Although Roy hadn't written a novel in a good few years, she was still actively writing non-fiction in the interval. I was fortunate enough to read her Algebra of Infinite Justice last semester and this definitely gave me a grounding in Roy's activist positions and the issues she relates in this monumental piece.

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