Never have I been so engaged in the life of children than while I read The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy.

Twins, Estha and Rahel, are living in India, learning the laws of life and love. The timeline spans the twins' childhood — specifically during the week their cousin, Sophie Mol, drowns in an accident — and Rahel's return to her family as an adult. The causes and consequences of Mol's death are factors that cause the lives of Estha and Rahel to crumble.

This book is an emotional ride. Amid the trauma and turmoil, there are light-hearted glimpses of their last youthful moments of play and simple laughter. It is clear that those times are fading fast for them and those childlike joys will soon be distant memories. The God of Small Things will make you smile and cry, but the main emotion it evokes is despair. As young kids, the twins are helpless. They are inexperienced, impressionable and easily manipulated by the adults around them. All they really want is to be loved and appreciated. What happens to them as children influences their outlook on love and relationships into adulthood.

The God of Small Things should be on everyone's must-read book list. It is engaging enough to speed through in only a few days. With this said, if you do choose to pick it up, be warned: It will break your heart and leave you fighting back tears.

Emma Hamming-Green is a senior at The Academy for Technology and the Classics. You can reach her at happycamper156@hotmail.com.