In the late spring of 1993, Rahel Ipe, who is now in her early thirties, boards a flight to Ayemenem, a town located along the southwestern coast of India. Her purpose is to reunite with her twin brother, Estha, after nearly 25 years of separation. The family's ancestral home is now occupied only by their great-aunt, Baby Kochamma, an overweight elderly woman who spends most of her time watching television.
The narrative then shifts back to 1969 when Sophie Mol, Rahel's eight-year-old British cousin, comes to visit Ayemenem along with her mother, Margaret. Margaret is the ex-wife of Rahel's uncle, Chacko. At the funeral of Sophie, who tragically dies during her visit, Rahel, who is only seven at the time, refuses to accept her cousin's death. Rahel imagines Sophie screaming and tearing at her burial clothes from inside the earth. Devastated, Rahel's mother, Ammu, takes the twins to a police station, hoping to rectify what she believes is a terrible mistake. However, the police dismiss their claims, leaving Ammu inconsolable and muttering cryptic words about killing someone.
Two weeks later, Estha is sent away to live with his father, Baba, in Calcutta, which leads to his isolation and emotional withdrawal. Estha rarely speaks and becomes nearly invisible to those around him. Despite his intelligence, he chooses not to pursue higher education and instead spends his time taking aimless walks. Over two decades later, when Baba retires and moves to Australia, Estha returns to Ayemenem, prompting Rahel to also come back to India.
Rahel's adolescence is marked by difficulties following the death of her cousin. After her mother abruptly leaves shortly after the funeral, Rahel struggles through various schools, becoming a disciplinary problem. She lacks ambition and direction, spending over eight years studying architecture in Delhi without completing her degree. During her time in
Delhi, she indifferently marries an American doctoral student, moves to Boston with him, and eventually divorces him without much emotion. Currently, Rahel works as a cashier in a gas station when she receives a call from her great-aunt, informing her about Estha's imminent return.
Years ago, Baby Kochamma, Rahel and Estha's great-aunt, fell in love with an Irish monk who visited Ayemenem when she was eighteen. Her infatuation with the monk, though unrequited, drives her to convert to Catholicism and become a nun to be closer to him. However,after two years of unfulfilled longing, she renounces her vows, pursues a degree in ornamental gardening, and returns to Ayemenem. The gardens she meticulously designed for the family's home have since fallen into neglect, and Baby Kochamma, now in her eighties, spends her days watching reruns of American television shows.
As Rahel prepares to reunite with Estha, she reflects on the events of 1969 and concludes that "it all began when Sophie Mol came to Ayemenem." She realizes that things can change dramatically in a single day. However, she believes that the family's tragedy is not solely tied to Sophie's death but rather rooted in the Love Laws enacted by India decades ago. These laws strictly dictate which social classes can marry each other, effectively controlling "who should be loved, and how."
The narrative then returns to 1969, where the family is driving in their boxy powder-blue Plymouth to the airport in Cochin to pick up Margaret and Sophie. Margaret, still grieving the sudden death of her secondhusband, accepted Chacko's invitation to spend the Christmas holidays in Ayemenem. Along the way to the airport, the family plans to stop and watch "The Sound of Music" for the third time. Rahel and Estha are excited about meeting their cousin for the first time.
Chacko, a Rhodes scholar with a deep interest in history and political theory, had returned to Ayemenem after his marriage ended to take over the family's pickle and preserves factory. He often emphasizes the importance of understanding history by listening to the voices of the past. His room is filled with books on communism, and he believes in spreading that message to the workers in the chutney factory, hoping it will revolutionize production. In his free time, Chacko builds model airplanes, resulting in a cluttered room filled with broken balsam models.
Ammu, Rahel and Estha's mother, left Ayemenem after high school and got married to an assistant manager of a tea estate in Calcutta. The marriage quickly turned into a disaster, with Ammu suffering from her
husband's alcoholism and regular abuse. In a desperate attempt to keep her husband's job, he even offers Ammu's body to his manager. Outraged by this proposition, Ammu leaves her husband and returns to her family home with Rahel and Estha. However, her decision is met with disapproval from her conservative family and community, as a married daughter is not considered to have a place in herparents' home.
On their way to the theater, the family's Plymouth is engulfed by a crowd participating in a communist rally. The demonstrators wave red flags and chant revolutionary slogans. Someone in the crowd hands a flag to Baby Kochamma, taunting her into repeating one of the workers' slogans. The old woman feels humiliated by the situation. In the midst of the chaos, Rahel catches a glimpse of Velutha, a young Black man who works as a carpenter and handyman at the pickle factory. Despite being from the Paravan caste, the lowest social class, Velutha has gained the trust and affection of Rahel and Estha due to his kind and wise nature. Rahel later recalls a moment when Velutha's father visited their house in a rage, even offering to kill his own son to erase what he had created. After the crowd disperses, the family proceeds to the movie theater.
Set in the present, the deteriorated state of the family home in Ayemenem is described. Baby Kochamma, the last remaining family member in the house, is in her eighties and spends her days watching television without bothering to clean up the place. The dishes pile up, and cockroaches scurry around, while Baby Kochamma relies on a neglectful maid named Kochu Maria, who happens to be a dwarf. Meanwhile, Estha, who has just returned from a long walk in the rain, enters his room, which he has organized and cleaned. He prepares to take a shower. Rahel arrives from the airport, excited to reunite with her brother. As she watches from the doorway of Estha's bedroom, he undresses without shame, aware that his sister is observing. Rahel is struck by her brother's graceful and muscular body, perceiving him as "a naked stranger met in a chance encounter." The moment feels awkward, blurring the lines between siblings and between a woman and a man.
The narrative returns to 1969 and the family's journey to the Cochin airport. However, they are detoured by a parade and decide to stop at the Abhilash Talkies, a movie theater showing "The Sound of Music." Following an elaborate bathroom ritual, they settle into their seats to watch the film. Estha, however, becomes a disruption as he enthusiastically sings along loudly to the movie's songs. The family discreetly asks him to move to the backof the theater. Estha, now alone at the back, wanders into the ornate theater lobby. There, he encounters a man working at the snack counter, whom he dubs the "Orangedrink Lemondrink Man." The man entices Estha to come behind the counter by offering him a free cold drink. As they engage in small talk, the man casually exposes his erect penis to Estha, shocking and terrifying the young boy. He coerces Estha to touch him until suddenly his hand feels wet and sticky. Overwhelmed, Estha rejoins his family but keeps the incident to himself, only mentioning feeling nauseous. The family decides to leave the movie theater. Rahel, feeling a deep sense of sadness, senses that something is terribly wrong with her brother. Later, as the family settles down in a hotel for the night, Chacko, Rahel and Estha's uncle, contemplates the upcoming reunion with his daughter, uncertain about how he will feel after such a long separation. Rahel and Estha sleep together, their arms and legs entwined, both dreaming of the Meenachal River back in Ayemenem.
The next part takes place in the present and provides a panoramic view of Ayemenem, focusing on the Meenachal River and the impact of tourism on the town. Rahel takes a walk and observes that the river, marketed to tourists as the idyllic "life-stream of God's Own Country," is, in reality, a polluted and foul-smelling communal bathroom where everyone bathes. The river is described as a swollen drain, tainted with human and animal waste. In an attempt to attract tourists, local officials have refurbished some of the rundown colonial-era houses into "historic" sites, such as the History House. This mostly empty building with furnished rooms has become forbidden territory and a haunted house for the local children. On her way back home, Rahel encounters K. N. M. Pillai, the former manager of the family's defunct pickle business and a prominent figure in the localcommunist underground. He shares a box of
old photographs with Rahel, including a picture taken during that Christmas holiday of Sophie, Rahel, and Estha playfully posing for the camera. The narrator interjects, mentioning that Sophie would meet her tragic end just days later.
Returns to 1969, where the family heads to the airport in anticipation of Margaret and Sophie's arrival. They dress in their finest attire, carrying flowers and painted signs to welcome them.When the plane lands, the family, particularly Rahel, is captivated by Sophie's striking British beauty. With her blonde hair, fair skin, and pale blue eyes, Sophie stands out. Rahel is immediately overwhelmed by her cousin, unsure of how to respond. During the long car ride back to Ayemenem, Rahel retreats awkwardly behind the curtains that shield the car windows from the tropical sun. She grapples with how to interact with this cousin, now a stranger, feeling a sense of duty to like her.
The narrative returns to the present. Rahel explores her grandfather's cluttered library, where she finds notebooks she and Estha kept as children, called Wisdom Notebooks. She specifically searches for Estha's notebook, in which he erased his name and wrote "Un-known." Estha's entries are filled with morbid thoughts and darkness. As she flips through the notebook, Rahel recalls the last time she saw her mother, Ammu, four years after Sophie's death. Ammu, weakened by lung cancer, had lost her beauty, passion, and fire. With a rattling sound in her chest, Ammu died a few weeks later, alone, in a strange town while struggling to make it to a job interview. Due to being divorced, Ammu could not be buried in sacred ground. Rahel remembers watching her mother's body being cremated, accompanied by her uncle Chacko. Rahel then notices Estha leaving the room, going off for another walk. She recalls how, after Sophie's death, Estha, introspective and morbid, often said, "Things can change in a day."
The next part takes us back to the family's official welcome of Sophie and her mother to the Ayemenem home. The scene revolves around Rahel's nearly blind grandmother playing a melancholic tune on her violin, despite the supposed joyous occasion. The tune reflects her deep dislike for Sophie's mother, whom she sees as the cause of her son's failed marriage. The family puts on a fa?ade, pretending to be happy and welcoming, while ignoring the underlying tensions and unspoken issues that linger. Rahel, feeling uneasy about the hypocrisy, abruptly leaves the welcome party and seeks the company of Velutha, the Black handyman from the factory. Velutha is the one adult who treats Rahel and Estha with respect and good humor, never condescending to them. Ammu follows Rahel outside and notices Velutha, who is sweaty and shirtless, picking up Rahel playfully. Velutha, captivated byAmmu's gaze, suddenly realizes that Rahel's mother is a woman. In an impulsive moment, Rahel and Velutha dance together, experiencing a rare instance of uncomplicated joy. Ammu calls Rahel inside and cautions her about becoming too familiar with Velutha, without providing a full explanation about the dynamics of the caste system and why Velutha, as an untouchable, is considered off-limits. An angry Rahel runs outside and, sulking, crushes ants with a stone until it is coated with their crushed bodies. Throughout this, Sophie watches quietly.
The next segmentation serves as a brief interlude in which Rahel recalls the week preceding Sophie's drowning. She remembers how Sophie, assertive and confident, somewhat rudely expresses how much she misses her "real" father to Chacko, her biological father. Sophie makes it clear that, despite feeling homesick and lonely in this unfamiliar world, she is not interested in forming close connections with her Indian family. The only breakthrough occurs when Rahel and Estha introduce Sophie to Velutha, who engages them in friendly conversation about various topics and even allows them to paint his fingernails bright red. Now, twenty years later, Rahel mourns Velutha's death and her role in it, feeling that he left behind a void in the universe. She reflects on her brother's frequent melancholic statement, "Things can change in a day."
We return to the daySophie and her mother arrive. Estha, still haunted by the memories of the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man and the traumatic incident at the movie theater, wanders alone around the grounds of the family's pickle factory. At the young age of seven, Estha has learned two crucial life lessons: that anything can happen to anyone and that it's best to be prepared. Rahel, feeling uncertain about how to react to Sophie, joins him after leaving the family gathering. Estha reveals his decision to run away, planning to cross the Meenachal River, which he describes as "sticky scarlet," and seek refuge in the History House for a while. They come across a rickety vallom, a small wooden boat, abandoned along the riverbank, and practice crossing the river. However, the boat flounders and starts to sink. They manage to drag it back to shore and seek the help of a hesitant Velutha, who assists in fixing the leaks and making the boat seaworthy again. Velutha warns the children about the dangers of theriver, referring to it as a wild entity. Unbeknownst to the children, Velutha has begun a forbidden relationship with their mother. For Velutha, conversing with "her children" is exciting and arousing, as they are the children of his secret lover.
The narrative returns to the days leading up to Sophie's drowning. The twins anxiously watch as their mother, Ammu, naps fitfully. She is immersed in an erotic dream, swimming in a turbulent dark sea with a one-armed Black man. In the dream, their desire for each other remains unfulfilled. The twins gently wake her up, and she notices that they are covered in sawdust, indicating that they have been with Velutha, the untouchable handyman. She warns them about the consequences of associating with him and heads to the bathroom, where she reflects on her stretch marks and withered breasts, feeling overwhelmed by sadness. Ammu locks herself in her bedroom, weeping for her lost life and uncertain about what lies ahead. Rahel, in the present narrative, realizes that the same room is where she now watches her troubled twin, Estha, naked in the shower.
The next part takes place in a refurbished temple near the family home, where Rahel attends a kathakali performance alone. Kathakali is a traditional form of storytelling through music and dance, originally a powerful expression of Indian culture. However, Rahel is disappointed with the show, as it has been cheapened and simplified to cater to Western tourists. She reminisces about the power and passion of kathakali before it lost its authenticity. The story being performed involves a poor man, once a prince, who is killed by his own brother, which leads Rahel to contemplate her own family's disintegration. She notices Estha slipping into a back row during the show. Despite sitting far apart, Rahel feels a deep emotional connection with her brother. They leave the performance together in silence.
Backstory of Chacko and Margaret's relationship on the day of Sophie's death. Chacko, studying at Oxford at the time, meets Margaret, a waitress, and is captivated by her energy, humor, and carefree nature. They quickly marry but soon realize they have little in common, and their relationship loses its magic. Margaret falls in love with Joe, a biologist, even before delivering Sophie. Joe is everything Chacko is not, andMargaret ultimately leaves Chacko, taking Sophie with her. They divorce, leaving Chacko heartbroken. He returns to India and teaches at a community college before coming back home. Margaret, haunted by her decision, accepts Chacko's invitation to spend the Christmas holidays in India. The chapter ends with a devastated Margaret looking down at the seaweed-covered body of her daughter, who has drowned in the river.
On the morning of Sophie's death, Chacko and Margaret have gone to the airport in Cochin to secure return flight tickets. Ammu, locked in her bedroom, expresses anger and frustration toward her family and her own children, exclaiming that she would have been free without them. The narrative then shifts to the previous night when Velutha's drunken father interrupts the family dinner. He reveals that he has witnessed Velutha's involvement with Ammu, leaving the family in shock. Baby Kochamma, still harboring resentment towards Velutha and viewing Ammu as a disgrace, sees this revelation as punishment for Ammu's sins. Ammu is locked in her bedroom, and the family sends for Velutha. In a tense
confrontation, Ammu's mother slaps Velutha, fires him from the pickle factory, and warns him to stay away from the family.
Interwoven with this drama, a local fisherman discovers Sophie's body in the river
Chacko leaving the house early before going to the airport with Margaret. Sophie observes him and then heads to the family factory. Chacko meets with Pillai, the factory foreman, to discuss ambitious plans for expanding the company's product line. During their conversation, Chacko mentions Rahel's claim of seeing Velutha at the parade. Pillai warns Chacko about the trouble Velutha could cause and suggests firing him, but Chacko refuses, valuing Velutha's contributions to the factory. The chapter then shifts to a grief-stricken Chacko in the aftermath of Sophie's death. He abandons his plans for the chutney business, and the factory begins to falter. Two years later, Chacko moves to Canada to escape the painful memories associated with Sophie's death, and the business eventually collapses.
The chapter concludes with Velutha, reeling from the confrontation with Ammu's enraged mother, seeking refuge at Pillai's house. However, he finds no sympathy or support from Pillai, leaving Velutha on his own.
Velutha, naked and on the run, completes his midnight swim across the swift currents of the Meenachal River. Despite his dire circumstances- his affair with Ammu exposed, his family disowning him, his job lost, and his life in danger - Velutha remains defiantly optimistic. He seeks refuge in the History House, the place where he and Ammu had their secret meetings. With a strange sense of happiness, Velutha believes that everything will somehow work out.
A few hours later, after midnight. Sophie has joined Estha and Rahel in their runaway attempt, wanting to make their parents feel worse about driving them away. The three children sit in the darkness along the riverbank. They climb into the boat that Velutha helped make seaworthy, intending to reach their destination, History House. However, as the boat enters deep water, it collides with a log, causing it to tip over and throw the children into the swirling water. Rahel and Estha manage to reach the shore, but Sophie is lost. They call out for her in fear and desperation before making their way to the refuge of the History House, where they collapse on the veranda. Unbeknownst to them, Velutha is sleeping just a few yards away in the shadows.
The narrative returns to the present. Estha sits alone on his bed in the darkness, while downstairs, Baby Kochamma writes in her diary. Estha recalls the traumatic day when his uncle Chacko, consumed by rage over Sophie's death, kicked Ammu out of the house, blaming her relationship with Velutha for the tragedy. Local newspapers have sensationalized the details of Velutha's arrest, but the true story behind it will never be revealed.
Arrest and brutal beating of Velutha at the History House. A posse of six police officers makes their way through the wet undergrowth along the river in the early morning. They find Velutha sleeping on the veranda and unleash a merciless beating on him. They kick him, strike him with wooden boards, and inflict severe injuries, including broken bones and punctured lungs. Velutha offers no resistance, and one officer handcuffs him early on. Unseen by the police, the twins silently witness the horrific beating. The officers then drag the unconscious Velutha to the waiting paddy wagon.
The family gathers at the police station after Velutha's arrest. Estha
and Rahel have already told the captainthat Velutha is innocent and not responsible for their cousin's death. The furious captain confronts Baby Kochamma, who originated the false story that led to the manhunt. He threatens her with jail for filing a false report unless the twins corroborate her lie. Determined to scare the twins into supporting her, Baby Kochamma tells them that if they don't accuse Velutha, their mother and even themselves may go to prison. She assures them that Velutha will die anyway, so they must help her save their mother. Terrified, Estha accompanies the captain to Velutha's dark and damp lock-up, where Velutha lies gasping for breath on the bloodied floor. When the captain asks Estha if this is the man who kidnapped them, Estha quietly says, "Yes." At that moment, "Childhood tiptoed out."
Estha as he embarks on a train journey to live with a father he barely remembers. Rahel, at the train station, cannot contain her anger and screams as the train pulls away. In the present narrative, Estha, sitting on the edge of his bed, understands the role his mother played in the tragedies of Sophie's death and Velutha's beating. He cannot forgive himself for his part, especially the lie he told in the holding cell. Rahel quietly joins him in the darkness, putting her arm around him before they lie down together. The narrator acknowledges that there are no words to clarify what happens next. Driven by "hideous grief," the twins make love.
The final part recounts one of the passionate encounters between Velutha and Ammu in the deserted rooms of the History House. Their lovemaking becomes a profound spiritual experience, delighting in the physical connection amidst the fear of discovery. They revel in the smallest joys, like a spider watching them from a corner. As they part ways, they refuse to consider anything beyond the tender promise of seeing each other again tomorrow.