Arundhati Roy Releases Memoir Detailing Difficult Relationship with Mother Mary Roy

Arundhati Roy's new memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, explores her complex and often painful relationship with her mother, Mary Roy, who was both a formidable figure and a source of cruelty and neglect. Mary Roy, a pioneering educator and legal reformer in Kerala, India, devoted herself to her groundbreaking coeducational school but was harsh and abusive toward her children, especially Arundhati and her brother Lalith. Despite her mother’s volatility and verbal abuse, Roy reflects on Mary as both a 'shelter and a storm,' acknowledging the paradox of being taught freedom and simultaneously persecuted by her. The memoir reveals how Roy's difficult upbringing and her mother's intense personality shaped her as a writer and a person, shedding light on themes of survival, familial love, and reconciliation with imperfect parental bonds. The book has been met with critical acclaim, highlighting Roy’s lyrical prose and honest portrayal of her family dynamics, while also situating her mother as a complex woman who defied the patriarchal norms of her community. Roy’s reflections come after her mother’s death in 2022, marking a period of personal reckoning and public sharing of a deeply intimate story.