THE MINISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPINESS

If Arundhati Roy's lyrical prose, melodic voice, and lilting accents aren't enough, the stories of Anjum, Tilottama, and a cast of society's misbegotten--interwoven with India's social and political growing pains--will keep listeners captivated. Born with both male and female genitalia and raised male, Anjum is a woman trapped in a man's body. She leaves her family home and lives with other hijra in a "House of Dreams" in Delhi. Eventually disenchanted, she moves into a cemetery, living on her family's graves. The lost souls she meets there and the sacrifices they make comprise Roy's indelible portraits of outcasts, damaged psyches, and a country suffering upheavals and uncertainty at every turn. Roy's impeccable diction makes this dense and challenging saga accessible and unforgettable. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2017]