Overview

• An Indian Link review describes Arundhati Roy’s memoir as a stark portrait of Mary Roy, whose ferocity reshaped her daughter’s life and public persona.
• Mary Roy’s legal fight against the Travancore Christian Succession Act and her school for women teachers are presented as transformative public actions.
• The book’s domestic narrative also dwells on the fallout of abuse, with the reviewer emphasizing its psychological toll on the author.
• The second half is read as a backstage tour of Roy’s career, spanning her Booker-winning novel and essays on Naxalism and the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
• The reviewer praises Roy’s wit and self-deprecation yet challenges her defense of her mother, noting that politically averse readers may still find Mary compelling.