The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

How unfortunate that this crisp, multivalent novel is so often weighed down with that infelicitous label: post-colonial fiction. Whenever I hear that MLA-ish term, I instinctively conjure up the image of a British Beefeater in full regalia exiled to a closet at the rear of the stage. Here our post-colonialist listens on as scenes unfold, no longer playi…