In September 2025, celebrated Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy will release her first memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me. Written after the passing of her mother, Mary—a teacher, activist, and a strong influence in Roy’s life—the memoir promises to blend personal reflection with her trademark engagement with politics, freedom, and memory.
For both new readers and longtime admirers, Roy’s career offers a diverse body of work. From fiction that reshaped Indian literature to fiery essays that confront global power structures, here’s a guide to navigating her writing.
The Novel That Changed Everything: The God of Small Things (1997)
Arundhati Roy burst onto the world stage with her debut novel, The God of Small Things. This Booker Prize–winning work is set in Kerala and tells the haunting tale of twins Rahel and Estha, whose lives are shattered by the “Love Laws” that dictate how relationships are formed and destroyed.
Praised for its poetic language and unconventional storytelling, the novel is more than a family tragedy—it is a powerful commentary on caste, gender, and the lingering impact of colonial history. Even today, it remains a cornerstone of modern Indian literature.
A Return to Fiction: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)
Two decades after her debut, Roy returned to fiction with The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Unlike her first novel, this one is vast in scope and structure, weaving together multiple voices and locations.
At its heart is Anjum, a transgender woman living in a Delhi graveyard. From there, the story moves into the politics of Kashmir, the scars of war, and the precarious existence of those at society’s margins. Longlisted for the Booker Prize, the novel demonstrates Roy’s insistence that literature cannot be separated from political reality.
Writing Against Power: My Seditious Heart (2019)
Roy’s reputation as a fearless political thinker was strengthened with My Seditious Heart. This massive collection of essays spans over 20 years and tackles subjects ranging from India’s nuclear ambitions and ecological destruction to the consequences of globalization and communal violence.
The book serves as both a historical record and a manifesto for resistance, showcasing Roy’s sharp critique of state power and corporate greed.
Freedom and Resistance: Azadi (2020)
Published during the pandemic, Azadi offers a concise yet powerful series of reflections on democracy, authoritarianism, and freedom. The collection critiques the rise of nationalism and authoritarian rule in India, and its ban in Jammu & Kashmir highlights how controversial Roy’s words can be.
Through its essays, Roy reasserts that storytelling—whether through fiction or nonfiction—is a political act of resistance.
Conversations and Collaborations
Alongside her novels and essays, Roy has engaged in conversations that expand her political thought:
- The Architecture of Modern Empire (2023): A collaboration with journalist David Barsamian, exploring two decades of discussions on war, resistance, and nationalism.
- Things That Can and Cannot Be Said (2016, with John Cusack): A shorter text built around exchanges with Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg, shining a light on secrecy, surveillance, and global power.
Both works illustrate her commitment to amplifying voices of dissent and exposing hidden systems of control.
Anticipating Mother Mary Comes to Me
With her upcoming memoir, Roy turns inward, reflecting on her relationship with her late mother. Early readers expect it to be both an intimate portrait of grief and a continuation of Roy’s larger political concerns. Like much of her work, the memoir is likely to move between the personal and the collective, connecting family history with broader struggles for justice and freedom.
Why Roy’s Work Resonates Today
Across genres, Arundhati Roy has shown that writing can be both beautiful and disruptive. Her fiction captures the fragile intimacies of human life, while her nonfiction holds governments and corporations accountable.
As her memoir approaches, revisiting her earlier works offers a fuller understanding of how Roy continues to shape conversations about literature, politics, and resistance—not just in India, but around the world.
