The God of Small Things

by Arundhati Roy

The God of Small Things: Flashbacks 1 key example

Chapter 2: Pappachi’s Moth
Explanation and Analysis—A Skyblue Day:

To begin Chapter 2, the novel harkens back to 1969, demonstrating the flashback technique used throughout the story: 

… it was a skyblue day in December sixty-nine (the nineteen silent). It was the kind of time in the life of a family when something happens to nudge its hidden morality from its resting place and make it bubble to the surface and float for a while. In clear view. For everyone to see.