“The God of Small Things,” Arundhati Roy
“The God of Small Things” is a stunningly written novel that is breathtakingly beautiful and painful at one and the same time. It follows a family in India and centers around twins who are separated at the age of 9 because of a situation that develops throughout the novel. Their cousin comes to visit from England, and all readers know from the very beginning is that she died in India. The rest of the book deals with the consequences that follow and the forces that destroy most of their lives. “The God of Small Things” interlaces family and racism and the inherent societal forces that shape us all, whether we live in the U.S. or India or any other country in the world, not because of where we live, but because we are all human.
“The Agüero Sisters,” Cristina García
García’s second novel, like her first (”Dreaming in Cuban”) mixes santería along with both American and Cuban culture to explore the deep familial relationships and trauma between two long-estranged sisters, separated not only by countries, but also by the mysterious death of their mother and the consequences it led to. Through her narrative, we have an intimate look into the Cuba of the 90s and life after the revolution–when it has officially lost its luster, when its citizens are dreaming of escape to the U.S., to Spain, or wherever they might be able to have a better future. This is reflected in the movements of her characters, as the two living on the island do whatever they can to get to different places. For her characters though, this results in not only a new life, but also unraveled truths.