The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

A novel

By: Arundhati Roy

Narrated by: Arundhati Roy

New York Times Best Seller
Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize
Named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, Amazon, Kirkus, The Washington Post, Newsday, and the Hudson Group

A dazzling, richly moving new novel by the internationally celebrated author of The God of Small Things

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness takes us on an intimate journey of many years across the Indian subcontinent—from the cramped neighborhoods of Old Delhi and the roads of the new city to the mountains and valleys of Kashmir and beyond, where war is peace and peace is war.

It is an aching love story and a decisive remonstration, a story told in a whisper, in a shout, through unsentimental tears and sometimes with a bitter laugh. Each of its characters is indelibly, tenderly rendered. Its heroes are people who have been broken by the world they live in and then rescued, patched together by acts of love—and by hope.

The tale begins with Anjum—who used to be Aftab—unrolling a threadbare Persian carpet in a city graveyard she calls home. We encounter the odd, unforgettable Tilo and the men who loved her—including Musa, sweetheart and ex-sweetheart, lover and ex-lover; their fates are as entwined as their arms used to be and always will be. We meet Tilo’s landlord, a former suitor, now an intelligence officer posted to Kabul. And then we meet the two Miss Jebeens: the first a child born in Srinagar and buried in its overcrowded Martyrs’ Graveyard; the second found at midnight, abandoned on a concrete sidewalk in the heart of New Delhi.

As this ravishing, deeply humane novel braids these lives together, it reinvents what a novel can do and can be. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness demonstrates on every page the miracle of Arundhati Roy’s storytelling gifts.

Powerful writing

The narration is so petrifying that my eyes were wide open all along.

Roy is an extraordinary critique of the society and this book is a must-read for those who live in euphoria that India is advancing.

Amazing writer, not as engaging an orator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I love Arundati Roy and I have been waiting for this book since she first announced its release. I have hard copies of all her books and this was my first audio book purchase of her work. My disappointment is possibly tied to the fact that I expected her reading and her voice to transport me to that ethereal place that her books do. It did not. Her voice was monotonous and I had to fight to stay connected. I just ordered the book at my local library and cant wait to read it.

What did you like best about this story?

I love how she creates characters that stick.

How could the performance have been better?

I really wish we had picked a stronger, more passionate and lively reader for the book. I enjoyed listening to Trevor Noah and Anderson Cooper, because they are professionals and understand the right tone, deflections and emotions. Arundati's voice didn't connect

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes

Poetic, Heartbreaking, Beautiful, Timeless

Poetic, heartbreaking beautiful and timeless. A truly extraordinary account of ordinary life. This book is the echo of my soul.

Where's the Happiness?

Would you try another book from Arundhati Roy and/or Arundhati Roy?

I respect the deep knowledge that Ms Roy has of all the miseries the people in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have suffered, but I finally didn't want to hear any more graphic descriptions of the many ways we humans make our fellows suffer. The plot was not compelling enough of a thread to keep me going. Shouldn't it be "Ministry of Utmost Misery"?

What was most disappointing about Arundhati Roy’s story?

The history of violence is the main thing; plot is meager and sometimes confusing.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

It was charming to hear Ms Roy read, but sometimes difficult to understand.

Was The Ministry of Utmost Happiness worth the listening time?

I didn't finish.

Any additional comments?

I'm not sorry that I listened to part of the book

Interesting, but hard to follow

Multi layered interesting, sometimes hard to follow, should have been read w/o the heavy accent.