Prolog –
In this month of May, when we celebrate one day of the year for our mothers, mothers by birth, by choice or by character, mothers who are worthy of so much more applause, understanding and love; I thought it prudent to share this review of an amazing book I read at the beginning of this year.
This book by the well-known author Arundhati Roy, is a journey into her own roller-coaster life as the daughter of a fiercely independent and strong woman. A lady who inspired her, infuriated her, scared her, tormented her, and yet was the biggest influence in how she lived her life. She gave her the strength of mind and heart to stand up to every misdeed in society and speak up when it mattered. I as a reader, was enthralled in this journey that Roy decided to take us on, a view and review of the life of Mary Roy, a woman who in life and even death, lived life on her terms. This book makes one think of one’s own mother, our evolving relationship we have had over the years and the beauty and irony of all the steps along the way. Do give it a read and hope it inspires you to go ahead and read the book itself.
BOOK REVIEW
TITLE – Mother Mary Comes to Me
AUTHOR – Arundhati Roy
Published – Sep 2025
About the Author –Arundhati Roy, is a renowned author and political activist best known for her Booker Prize-winning novel “The God of Small Things.” She was born in Shillong to a Malayali Christian mother (Mary Roy, a women’s rights activist) and a Bengali Hindu father who managed a tea plantation.
Over the years, Arundhati Roy has established herself as one of India’s foremost public voices, widely recognized for her bold stances on issues such as civil rights, ecological concerns, and the welfare of marginalized communities. Through her work, she consistently challenges state policies, the unchecked power of corporations, and the deep-rooted disparities within society.
About this Book – Her latest book, ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’, Roy begins in the raw aftermath of losing her mother, weaving together a portrait of a life deeply moulded by Mary Roy’s remarkable intellect and volatile nature. Spanning her early years in Kerala to her rise as a celebrated writer on the world stage, she reflects on how leaving home at eighteen was an act of self-preservation for their relationship, yet her mother’s presence never truly left her — lingering as both an inspiration and an inescapable influence over her writing. For a reader who has read her previous books, it comes as a realization that her first novel was in fact a memoir of her own young life, the protagonists were she and her brother, and the backdrop was her troubled and complicated childhood.
Themes explored in the Book – Love, Grief, Mother-Daughter Complicated relationship, Feminism.
Synopsis of the Book – This memoir was primarily written after the passing away of Roy’s mother Mary. She calls her mother her shelter and her storm. In one way she is portrayed as a hard taskmaster who could not tolerate excuses, even from her children, or maybe particularly from her children; on the other end she was their role model as she showed them how one could build up something despite all odds. How to rise above poverty, hardships, obstacles and build what we have always dreamed of. This is how the world is and we must deal with it with all ammunition available at our disposal.
We learn early in the book that Mary Roy had a very temperamental nature. She could be unpredictable to the point of being capable of immense generosity and extreme cruelty. Her father had been a very violent man and took out his anger on his family and regularly beat up his children. Mary’s volatile temperament was something she had carried down from her own father. Raising her children alone, she found herself in relentless disputes with her family, who subjected her to repeated humiliation – a burden she, in turn, often passed on to her children. Arundhati was extremely attached to her mother, but her unexplained rudeness and anger often felt like a betrayal.
But again, the emotional upheavals and the unwavering strength that she grew up sharing, also in time set Arundhuti up for the biggest decisions and actions of her life. Her huge empathy for the wronged, her strong vision and her tendency to be the voice for the voiceless. When she first leaves home, to go to architecture school in Delhi where she meets characters who follow her around at different points in her future, makes a few friends for life and encounters situations beyond control, her mother’s upbringing comes in at various times to guide her. However, this also keeps her vulnerable in relationships in a way that she is unable to form real ones and whenever she sees something materializing with a close person, she has a tendency of running away from it.
Recommendation – Rating (4.5/5)
It’s best to be prepared – as Estha and Rahel kept saying in ‘The God of Small Things’.
The writing is the star of this book. There are sentences that jump out of the book and grab you by the throat. They sneak out of corners when you least expect a twist.
When Mary Roy goes back to her ancestral home, in Kottayam countryside, to the village Ayemenem and starts a school from practically nothing and helps it grow to become a phenomenal presence in India, it is a story like none other. Her rise, her challenges and her defiance will shock you and inspire you. You will realize that what you are reading today was some person’s reality and the young protagonist of the story who later grows up to be world famous, lived this life. In my opinion, this book should be read by all serious readers, who have followed Arundhati Roy’s work over the years. The book will help one get an insight into her perspective.
Quotes from the Book –
- “She was my shelter and my storm.”
- “I left my mother not because I didn’t love her, but to be able to continue to love her”
- “Nothing made me forget the world like reading did. Nothing made me think about the world like reading did. Nothing else filled me up. Nothing else emptied me out. Sentences and paragraphs would drift through my head like clouds.”
- “It made me realize how literature can join humans in a bond of quiet intimacy the way almost nothing else can.”
Manobina Nanda Ganguly
Manobina is a Computer Engineer by profession, working for over two decades. An avid reader since childhood, she loves reading both fictions and non fictions. She can be reached at manobina@gmail.com.
