The publication of "The God of Small Things" catapulted Roy to international fame. It received the 1997 Booker Prize for Fiction and was listed as one of "The New York Times" Notable Books of the Year. It reached fourth position on "The New York Times" Bestsellers list for Independent Fiction. From the beginning, the book was also a commercial success: Roy received half a million pounds as an advance. It was published in May, and the book had been sold in 18 countries by the end of June.