The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things is a domestic fiction written by the Indian author Arundhati Roy. It is a story about childhood experiences of the fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" prevalent in the 1960s in Kerala, India. The novel explores how small, seemingly insignificant occurrences, decisions and experiences shape people's behavior in deeply significant ways. The novel also explores the lingering effects of casteism in India and British colonialism in India, and has become a staple in postcolonial literature. The novel won the Booker Prize in 1997.

The God of Small Things was Roy's debut novel, published in 1997. It was followed by the 2017 publication The Ministry of Utmost Happiness twenty years later. Roy began writing the manuscript for The God of Small Things in 1992 and finished four years later, in 1996, leading to its publication the following year. The potential of the story was first recognized by HarperCollins editor Pankaj Mishra, who sent it to three British publishers. Roy received a £500,000 advance, and the rights to the book were sold in 21 countries.