The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Author: Arundhati Roy

One-sentence summary: The lives of several characters in India interweave as the country and their personal lives encounter crushing violence and upheaval.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 5

Our favorite thing about it: Roy crafts sentences beautifully and uses recurring imagery ingeniously. Sometimes whole paragraphs were just begging to be reread and highlighted because they were so well done.

Our least favorite thing about it: The story lacks cohesiveness. We felt like it was all over the place and that hurt the overall narrative.

Main Topics of Discussion: Eastern culture/wars, Imagery, Transgenders, Hindu vs. Muslim, Caste System, Relationships

Our favorite quote: “Enemies can't break your spirit, only friends can.”

Notes: We wanted to like this book more than we actually did. There were snatches of brilliance, but overall, the flaws in character development (or lack thereof), and in the narrative arc were too distracting to overcome. Here are some things we discussed:

1. The digressions and rants water down the overall message.
2. We found the language barrier difficult – there were Indian phrases or words that we didn’t understand. Sometimes context would help, but not always. It was pretty hard for a Western reader to understand. Not just the language, but the culture/history of India as well.
3. Some of the imagery we appreciated and talked about: lost/recovered children, sacrifice/self-denial, transgressing social boundaries
4. We found it poignant (and also weird) that they made a home in a graveyard. Lots of imagery there. They named it Jannat (paradise), which indicates a new kind of Eden. Life intersects with death here.
5. Hijiras, the Indian term for transgenders, are traditionally and legally accepted as a third gender, BUT they are still marginalized. We found that interesting for such an ordered social system.
6. Parts of the book were incredibly vivid and sharp – tales of war, cruelty, pain. One such instance that highlights this is how the reader gets dragged along in the deception that plagues the social worker in America. Then we find out the truth and it highlights the dichotomy.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Dara and Amberly captured a “slow pour” of the very tasty sparkling Rose wine. We also celebrated Dara’s birthday month.

What We Ate: Zuppa Toscana soup, bread with olive oil and balsamic for dipping, baked ziti and salad, and pumpkin dump cake for dessert.