Cover of The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things

Arundhati Roy, 1997

Indian novelist, born 1961. Won the Booker Prize in 1997.

The God of Small Things is a 1997 novel by Arundhati Roy. It won the Booker Prize in 1997.

Essential
  • Prize Winner
  • Stood the Test of Time

In family saga

On 6 of the 19 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Arundhati Roy
First published
1997
Length
366 pages (UK paperback)
Awards
Genre
Literary fiction, Family saga, Class and society, Political

Is The God of Small Things worth reading?

6 of the 19 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them the Booker Prize and The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian).

ListPlaceOriginal
100 novels that shaped our world (BBC Arts, 2019)ListedSee the list
Booker Prize (winners and shortlists) (Booker Prize Foundation, 1997)WinnerSee the list
Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026)No. 52See the list
The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026)No. 32See the list
The Big Jubilee Read (BBC Arts and The Reading Agency, 2022)ListedSee the list
The Big Read top 100 (BBC, 2003)No. 85See the list

Best edition of The God of Small Things

The edition we link to is the Harper Perennial paperback (2004), 366 pages.

Publisher
Harper Perennial (paperback, 2004)
Pages
366
ISBN
9780006550686

How critics, prizes and readers rate The God of Small Things

Readers rate it most highly: it earned 40% of the points available on readers' and booksellers' lists, against 33% on prize lists and 21% on critics' lists.

Critics
21%
Prizes
33%
Readers and booksellers
40%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like The God of Small Things

If you liked The God of Small Things, try Midnight's Children, Beloved or The Tin Drum.

Lists used on this page