Arundhati Roy’s new novel lays India bare, unveiling worlds within our world

Indian women walk as smog envelops the Jama Masjid Mosque in the old quarters of New Delhi. Photo: AFP

Wearing two hats at once can be an uncomfortable fit, but it does not seem to bother the author Arundhati Roy, who for most of her life has railed against state excesses and corporate exploitation while also wielding the pen.

Maybe she does not think of these two jobs as different, but rather as extensions of each other.