The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is Arundhati Roy's second and newest novel, published in 2017. It narrates episodes in the lives of multiple people from various sections of Indian society, from the mid-twentieth century to the 2010s.
This work provides examples of:
- Author Avatar: Tilottama is at least loosely based on Roy herself.
- Black Comedy: Tons of it, particularly in the Kashmir chapter.
- Blood Knight: Major Amrik Singh. To a lesser extent, ACP Pinky also qualifies.
- Domestic Abuse: Major Amrik Singh beats and eventually kills his wife Loveleen Singh.
- Good Parents: Anjum keeps telling reporters and activists that no, her family did not reject her for being transgender.
- Happily Married: Musa and Arifa until she and their daughter are killed by a stray bullet.
- Historical Domain Character: Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed and Aurangzeb. Also, Anjum notes the impact that contemporary political figures such as Manmohan Singh, Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal have on her life.
- Impoverished Patrician: Mulaqat Ali, Anjum's father, traces his descent from Chinggis Khan. He is a lover of poetry and treats guests with great politeness.
- Ironic Name: Biplab Dasgupta works for the Intelligence Bureau. (Biplab means 'revolutionary' in Bengali.)
- Kids Are Cruel: Aftab is teased for his feminine voice and manners by his classmates. He is transgender.
- Large Ham: Nagaraj Hariharan
- Magical Realism: Generally averted, but one scene has a weevil teacher taking a class on philosophy and ethics.
- Murder by Suicide: Major Amrik Singh is encouraged to 'escape' to the US so the Army does not have to investigate him and reveal his crimes. However, the relatives of the people he killed follow him and keep running across him as if by accident. He ends up shooting his family and then himself.
- N-Word Privileges: Nagaraj Hariharan can make jokes about South Indians as he is half-southerner himself.
- Riddle for the Ages: A meta-example - which of Delhi's many monuments inspired the art on the book's cover?
- Shout-Out: Many to Roy's earlier novel, The God of Small Things. The title is probably a shout-out to the four ministries in 1984.
- Traumatic Haircut: Tilottama is caught by ACP Pinki Sodhi and her head shaved to break her spirit. She keeps her hair cropped close from then on.
- Unknown Rival: Anjum resents Saeeda for taking her position as the spokeswoman and heir-apparent of the Khwabgah.
- Worthy Opponent: Major Amrik Singh sees particularly notorious enemies as this, sometimes speaking to them on the phone.
