Disrupting the Narrative: Fragmentation and Nonlinear Storytelling in Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

Abstract

Roy’s The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (2017) challenges conventional linear storytelling through fragmentation, multiple perspectives, and temporal dislocation, reflecting the fractured political, cultural, and emotional landscapes of contemporary India. The main objective of this study is to investigate how Roy’s use of nonlinear narrative strategies constructs meaning, amplifies marginalized voices, and destabilizes dominant historical discourses. The research is grounded in Gérard Genette’s narratology (1980), focusing on his concepts of order, duration, frequency, and focalization, which provide a precise analytical lens for examining the structural disruptions in the novel. Findings indicate that Roy’s fragmented form not only mirrors the complexities of memory, trauma, and hybrid identity but also engages the reader in an active process of reconstructing the narrative, thereby transforming storytelling into an act of resistance and socio-political commentary.