The spirit of the past
Do you think that if you believe in magic then a little magic resides inside you? It certainly holds true for Isabel Allende, the author and a resident of the House of Spirits. This book is about a family saga, intertwined with the troubled past of a country. Three generations of a family jostled by the misfortunes and delusions of a nation that is in the pursuit of its own identity. Each character is stark and tells a tale filled with warmth and war. Through the character’s flaws we peek into a world of the real and the surreal, all at once. The most cruel has mercy while the most merciful is riddled by violence, and the balancing act tied together with the strings of time is the house in the corner or as the cover says – the House of Spirits.
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If you think your life is hard
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha narrate the aftermath catastrophe of Bhopal Union Carbide Disaster of 1984 through the eyes of Animal, a nineteen year old boy who lives in the fictional city of Khaufpur and suffers from scoliosis since birth. Due to his condition his spine has become so twisted that he is forced to walk on all fours, thus getting his name. However, things take a dramatic turn for Animal with the arrival of an American doctor Elli, who encounters Animal and decides to take him on as her primary case. This book will help you realise how fortunate you are which, in turn, will give birth to compassion, respect and love for others. Give it a read. I’m sure you won’t regret it.
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Love is the only rule
Do the philosophers, the scriptures, the intellectuals leave you perplexed and wondering? Do their teachings apply to our lives today? Do Rumi’s poems still hold any meaning in the times of Tinder and #InstaLike? Elif Shafak has answered many such questions through Ella Rubenstein, a suburban mother. Ella has one dog, three kids and a compromise – which is better known as marriage. But all of this changes when Ella finds love and faces a dilemma. Rumi and Tabrez come to her rescue, their age-old lessons steer her through these troubled seas till she finds her way and discovers who she is. The forty rules are not an adage to live by, it is a journey you live through and that remains in your heart.
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Wonder if I…
How do you take a mesh of human emotions that is often mercurial and mostly complicated, and tell a story? You make it simple. Wonder is a delightful read, not just for its beam of sunshine and positive vibes, but also for its marvellously simple narrative. The movie adaptation of the book is out and available. But I urge you to read the book. Not because I am what they call a bibliophile, but because I am a cynic who felt optimism beaming at her through this tale of a little boy with a distorted face. August’s tale is not his alone, it is the story of his friends and family and how they are affected by his appearance. It makes us wonder are we all who we claim to be, or are we just hypocrites in hiding. A short read, that will leave you wondering long after.
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When You Begin to Question Your Identity
I started this book with zero expectations, got intrigued by the brilliant introduction by Francis Wyndham and was hooked till the last page. The blurb says the story is about the ‘mad’ woman in the attic from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, however, I felt its a narrative on the post-liberalisation White life in the West Indies. It’s about broken promises, zero compassion and heartache and love for the sake of money and love for the sake of liberation from one own’s lot.
The contrast between the beautiful, serene place and the conflicted, spiteful people just leaves you thinking how can somebody be so hateful and hurtful. Jean Rhys somewhere makes us understand that it’s not a single event that drives someone mad, it’s circumstances which continuously push her to lose her mind and finally all it takes is one trigger.
I now want to read Jane Eyre and see how Mr Rochester defends his actions. There are always two sides to a story, and I’m glad Jean Rhys wrote this side out.
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Finding a hero
The Palace of Illusions is an unforgettable retelling of the Mahabharat from Draupadi’s perspective, one that is perhaps more relevant than ever today. Violence, sexual assault, discrimination, she faces it all. What makes this a rare read are her constant dilemmas, and how she vanquishes her inner demons to wreak havoc upon the world. She explores polygamy and its possibilities. Draupadi even confesses to emotionally cheating on her five husbands for the elusive Karna. No, Draupadi is not your run-of-the-mill hero, but maybe that’s what makes her the hero of her destiny.
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When your life diverges from the path you have chosen
Vignettes about several interconnected flawed lives, spanning decades. The core premise being just this – “time is a goon”. Time passes, everything ends. All your hopes of belonging and dreams of climbing unreachable heights – all end. Thinking you will one day be a different, glorious person and have the perfect career, a passionate love, the kind of friends to whom you say “forever!” In the end, just regrets and silences aplenty. Yet, with every ending, there is still a chance of growth and recovery. Egan captures several truths about the agony and the disappointments that accompany adulthood.
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When you are feeling a little lost on this crazy journey called life
This is a warm and delicious read. It is the literary equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa with lashings of cinnamon sugar. Set on a floating bookshop housed on a barge on the Seine it tells the story of Monsieur Perdu. Perdu is a slightly eccentric self-professed literally apothecary. He prescribes books to help people through all of life’s ups and downs. (Often against their will) Like most of us, he is better at solving others problems than his own. This book follows him on a journey both literally down the river and metaphorically as he confronts his past, finds peace in the present and makes new friends along the way.
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When life and society seem to have reached their bleakest points
The epic tale of humanity’s good and evils played out among a multitude of characters in the Parisian underworld. This is the book you need if you have looked around and seen injustice prevail, and your reaction has been escapism, for it teaches you to have your eyes wide open to the plight of the society. This is also the guidebook if you have ever felt hopeless, for this will teach you that to hope, to dream and to love are the biggest weapons to counter circumstances. Above all, it says this – you are not alone.
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When you are torn between identity and convention
An American in 1950s Paris engages in an affair with an Italian bartender while agonizing over his sexual identity. The divide between heterosexual masculinity and his true core widens. The only solution is a complete annihilation of his identity. Imprisoned by the stifling cage he built himself. Yet, a preference for this cage to the terror of social ridicule. When love doesn’t resemble the rose-tinted pictures we have been told to imagine but becomes an instrument of self-flagellation and searing shame. This book says the worst violence is that of not accepting yourself.
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