‘Mother Mary Comes To Me’ by Arundhati Roy
A New York Times Bestseller
Named One of The New York Times Book Review’s Top Ten Books of the Year
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography | Finalist for the Kirkus Prize | Nominated for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction
One of the best-reviewed books of the year, a raw and deeply moving memoir that “pulses with compassion and moral outrage” (The Wall Street Journal) from the legendary author of The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness that traces her complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, a fierce and formidable force who shaped Arundhati’s life both as a woman and a writer.
Storytelling:
Arundhati was a childhood rebel. Whether it was due to her mother, who made it clear she hadn’t wanted her pregnancy to come to full term and made attempts at self-abortion, or maybe it was that she was different, independent, quirky and that came from her soul. No more no less. The story therefore is about her life, her relationships with her mother and brother, about how she started off studying architecture then transformed into a highly successful, somewhat political writer in a period of turbulent Indian history from the defeat of Mrs Ghandi in the mid 1970’s through to the persecution of Indian Muslims in more recent years.
Ideas:
As with most stories, the idea of how someone changes over time, their evolvement, their understanding of things as they mature, this book describes Arundhati’s acceptance of her mother for what she was. In fact, she was moved to celebrate her Mother’s life as ‘beloved’ and immortalised her by declaring her as the ‘Dreamer Warrior Teacher’ on her headstone.
Outlining:
What intrigues me when I read a historic piece like this is how much I learn about other cultures and languages. The troubling times incensed Arundhati to such a point that at the age of eighteen she would pee on rich people’s lawns on her way home from the Archana Theatre in Delhi. That was just the start. No spoiler alerts here. Just read it.
Star Review:
4/5