Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, will release her first memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me. (Source: Penguin)In September, Arundhati Roy will publish Mother Mary Comes to Me, her first memoir. Written after the death of her mother, Mary, an educator, activist and formidable presence in her daughter’s life, the book promises to be both an intimate reckoning and a continuation of Roy’s lifelong project to chart the entanglement of love, politics and freedom.For those new to Roy, or for readers keen to revisit her work, here is a guide to where to begin. Arundhati Roy’s fiction includes The God of Small Things (1997) and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017). (Source: Penguin)The God of Small Things (1997)Roy’s debut novel was a sensation. A Booker prize winner that went on to sell millions, it is set in Kerala and tells the story of twins, Rahel and Estha, and the “Love Laws” that destroy their family. Lyrical, experimental and heartbreaking, it remains a touchstone of postcolonial literature, and a reminder of Roy’s ability to turn local tragedy into universal resonance.The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)Two decades later, Roy returned with a very different kind of novel:, which was sprawling, fragmented, full of voices. It begins with Anjum, a transgender woman who lives in a Delhi graveyard, before moving through the politics of Kashmir, the wreckage of war and the precarious lives of outsiders. Longlisted for the Booker, it showed Roy’s refusal to separate the personal from the political, or the novel from the world. If her fiction brought global acclaim, it is her nonfiction that cemented her role as a critic of power, both in India and abroad. (Source: Penguin)If her fiction brought global acclaim, it is her nonfiction that cemented her role as a critic of power, both in India and abroad.My Seditious Heart (2019): A collection of two decades of political essays, from India’s nuclear tests to the ravages of neoliberalism.Azadi (2020): Shorter, sharper, written in the shadow of the pandemic and authoritarian politics. Its title comes from the Kashmiri chant for freedom.Story continues below this adThe Architecture of Modern Empire (2023): Conversations with journalist David Barsamian, tracing themes of war, nationalism and resistance over 20 years.Things That Can and Cannot Be Said (2016, with John Cusack): A brief but urgent text, built around conversations with Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg, about surveillance, secrecy and empire.Also Read | 7 books that faced bans in India and why they were controversialHow to read herIf you want to see where it all began, start with The God of Small Things. If you’re drawn to her politics, pick up Azadi or My Seditious Heart.If you want to understand the breadth of her imagination, read The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. And if you are looking for Roy herself, wait for Mother Mary Comes to Me.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Arundhati Royauthor