Celebrated author and activist Arundhati Roy is ready to release her first memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, in September 2025. The book is inspired by the life and passing of her mother, Mary—an educator and activist whose influence shaped Roy’s worldview. Early previews suggest the memoir will be an intimate blend of personal remembrance and political reflection, consistent with Roy’s lifelong commitment to writing that merges the private with the public.
For readers who want to explore her body of work, here’s a fresh journey through the highlights of her career.
A Booker Prize Beginning: The God of Small Things (1997)
Roy’s debut novel, The God of Small Things, made her a literary sensation. Winning the Booker Prize, it remains one of the most celebrated novels from India.
The novel tells the story of Rahel and Estha, twins growing up in Kerala, and the devastating impact of rigid “Love Laws.” With its lyrical style and fragmented storytelling, the book resonates far beyond its setting, turning local tragedy into universal truth.
A Bold Return to Fiction: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017)
After twenty years, Roy returned to the world of fiction with The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Unlike her debut, this novel is sprawling and layered, bringing together multiple voices and shifting narratives.
The story follows Anjum, a transgender woman in Delhi, and expands into the politics of Kashmir, the struggles of the marginalized, and the wounds left by conflict. Longlisted for the Booker Prize, it reaffirms Roy’s vision of literature as inseparable from political life.
Essays that Challenge the Establishment
Roy is equally renowned for her nonfiction, where her uncompromising critique of state power and global capitalism has earned her admirers and critics alike.
- My Seditious Heart (2019): Over a thousand pages of essays written across two decades, covering everything from India’s nuclear tests to the consequences of neoliberal economics.
- Azadi (2020): Shorter and sharper, this book reflects on the meaning of freedom in an era of authoritarianism and was notably banned in Jammu & Kashmir.
Both works reveal Roy’s ability to dissect politics with clarity and conviction.
Conversations on Power and Resistance
In addition to essays and novels, Roy has produced works born out of dialogue:
- Things That Can and Cannot Be Said (2016, with John Cusack): Conversations with Edward Snowden and Daniel Ellsberg about secrecy, surveillance, and the workings of empire.
- The Architecture of Modern Empire (2023): A long-term exchange with journalist David Barsamian, tracing discussions on nationalism, war, and democracy over 20 years.
These books serve as windows into her broader intellectual engagement with resistance and justice.
The Upcoming Memoir: Mother Mary Comes to Me
Roy’s first memoir marks a personal shift. By reflecting on her mother’s life and influence, she is expected to weave together personal memory with broader themes of activism, education, and freedom.
Given her ability to connect the personal with the political, the memoir will likely extend beyond individual remembrance to touch on wider cultural and political landscapes.
Why Arundhati Roy’s Voice Still Matters
Arundhati Roy stands out for her capacity to write across genres—combining lyrical fiction, searing essays, and thought-provoking conversations. Whether she is exploring the intimate lives of her characters or exposing global systems of power, her work insists on the inseparability of love, politics, and freedom.
With the release of Mother Mary Comes to Me, readers now have the chance to revisit her earlier works and experience the evolution of one of the world’s most influential literary voices.
- Indian author Booker Prize winner
