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Life is a little more bearable with friends. Good friends will lift us up when we’re feeling down. They will give us sound advice or a round of scolding, depending on what’s needed. They, in many ways, make us who we are. Having just celebrated friendship day (July 30), I’m going to give my closest friends a book that celebrates the bond that we have. I might also sneak in a reread. Here are my top five picks.  

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This is an unforgettable story of the unlikely and tragic friendship between a rich boy and the son of his father’s servant. Not just friendship but also love, betrayal and redemption. Trigger warning though, it’s a bit violent at times and the story is disturbing. But it’s a hauntingly good and conscience-nudging story about the good and the bad that humans are capable of, and the lengths we go to for our dearest friends.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A book about four college friends as they navigate life in New York, A Little Life will break your heart. You will cry ugly tears but it will be worth it. Four friends Jude, Willem, Malcolm, and JB, help one another through the highs and lows of success, addiction, trauma and grief. You’ll see yourself and your friends in the characters, and thus it feels extremely cathartic. It’s a thick book but rest assured you will breeze through it as you won’t want to put it down.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Set in small-town 1930’s Kentucky, the book is based on the real-life Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky, or the Horseback Librarian program as it was called then. The program delivered books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s traveling library and ran from 1935 to 1943, making books accessible to over 100,000 rural inhabitants. The story is tender and heartbreaking and celebrates the power of books and female friendships.

Marley and Me by John Grogan

This is based on a true story about a dog named Marley, a yellow Labrador, who was, according to Grogan, the naughtiest dog in the world. Marley is hyperactive and destructive. That causes many problems for the family. The book is about how they learn to adapt to him and their grief after Marley’s death. His antics will make you laugh, cry, and hug your own pet a little harder. Marley and Me celebrates the bond we share with our four-legged friends and reminds us to be gentler with them.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Amy Tan writes good books with complex relationships. You couldn’t go wrong with any of her works but The Joy Luck Club tops my list of favorites. It’s a story about four Chinese women who are new to the city of San Francisco. They are homesick but they find comfort in one another. The book also explores the bond between mothers and daughters and the friendship that people of different generations can share.

I always say I won’t read another love story when I’m done with one. Then when I’m swamped with work and need a light read, I’ll pick up yet another one. A love story doesn’t require me to think too much about the characters and be consumed by their problems. These are what I want to read when I don’t want to invest too much mental energy in a story. But the thing is, all love stories are the same. And halfway through these books, I’m exasperated and a little mad at myself. 

I have a few problems with romance novels. First, it instills a clichéd idea of romance: that it’s all about candlelit dinners, stargazing, and elaborate confessions of love. Second, it’s too trope heavy. Boy meets girl, they don’t like each other, but there’s a lot of sexual tension between the two that they both try to quash before eventually discovering they are perfect for each other. Throw in some mental hang-ups, misunderstandings or reservations on either side (that get sorted out in dramatic ways) and you pretty much have any love story ever written. I don’t like character portrayals in romance novels either. I find them sexist. Love stories are also predictable and cheesy. 

‘Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry is the third Henry book I’ve read, after ‘You and Me on Vacation’ and ‘Beach Read’. Both were immensely hyped on social media specially Bookstagram and BookTube. I enjoyed reading them. They were fun while they lasted. 

‘Book Lovers’ is about Nora and Charlie, who work in publishing. Nora is a literary agent and Charlie is an editor. Nora isn’t fond of Charlie, especially after he bluntly rejected a book by one of her favorite clients, Dusty. Then, Nora’s sister, Libby, plans a trip to Sunshine Falls and the two bump into each other at the small town where, surprise, romance ensues. 

I didn’t hate ‘Book Lovers’ but I was disappointed by it as it had nothing new to offer. It felt like a rehash of one of the many love stories I’ve read over the years. I also cringed in many places—when Libby refers to Nora as ‘sissy’ and when Nora says, ‘Tonight, can I just have you, Charlie?’ There are plenty of other such stupid dialogues and instances that made my eyes roll far back into my head. 

Nora is a strong woman. She’s raised her sister all on her own after their mother passed away. She’s gotten them out of debt and made a name for herself in publishing. There’s nothing she can’t do and nothing that she wouldn’t do for Libby. But, like the female protagonists of most love stories, her steely exterior is a façade for her loneliness. It takes a man, Charlie in this case, to make her tune into her feelings. The romance genre thrives on this trope. ‘Book Lovers’ had so much potential with its interesting setting but it ended up being another average romance novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58690308-book-lovers 

Three stars 

Fiction

Book Lovers

Emily Henry

Published: 2022

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Pages: 377, Paperback 

I read ‘The Chalk Man’, C. J. Tudor’s debut novel, during the Covid-19 lockdown. It was just the distraction I needed to get my mind off the real-life horror we were facing at that time. Tudor’s writing was smooth and she was great at weaving in twists and turns in an otherwise simple narrative. I don’t usually read horror but The Chalk Man had me interested in the genre. I especially wanted to read more of Tudor’s works. I bought two of her other books on a whim: ‘The Taking of Annie Thorne’ and ‘The Burning Girls’. I read The Taking of Annie Thorne and now I’m wondering if I should exchange The Burning Girls for something else at the bookstore. Thank God Ekta Books grants me that privilege. 

Don’t get me wrong, the book wasn’t a complete waste of time. It just wasn’t very interesting. If you watch horror movies or read such books, you’ll easily be able to tell how things will eventually unfold. The scenes also feel a bit clichéd. The book seems to have been written on a template—there are familiar acts and incidents. It’s all very déjà vu-ish. I mean, does horror always mean black bugs scuttling about, entire rooms painted with blood or big writings on the wall? Do things always have to be outlandish to be spooky? The plot was promising but the author stuck to the usual route of jump scares with creepy dolls, giggling children, and dark dungeons.   

The Taking of Annie Thorne starts with the disappearance of an eight-year-old girl. She returns two days later, but she isn’t the same person. She smells peculiar and her eyes have a menacing glow. Twenty-five years later, her brother Joe returns to the small mining town of Arnhill in Nottingham and takes up a job as a teacher at the local school. Joe is a heavy gambler and is running away from debt collectors. But that’s not just it. He is forced to return home when he receives an email saying, ‘I know what happened to your sister and it’s happening again.’ 

Readers have compared Tudor’s works to Stephen King’s. So, here’s the thing, if you have read King’s books, you know exactly what to expect. Maybe King’s books are Tudor’s templates after all. Initially, as the dialogues are witty, Joe comes across as daring and charming but, after a while, when everything he says comes with a punchline, it feels scripted and fake. Joe becomes a fictional character rather than a person who is actually going through all the things mentioned in the book, a person you feel like you know, and that kills the joy of reading.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/list_book/40490762-the-taking-of-annie-thorne 

Two and half stars 

Fiction

The Taking of Annie Thorne

C. J. Tudor

Published: 2019

Publisher: Penguin Books

Pages: 358, Paperback

Reading slumps are real. There are times when you have read a really good book and are so caught in that timeline and place, you can’t immerse yourself in another story. Or you have had a bout of bad luck and have been picking up one terrible book after another only to shove them back on the shelf halfway through. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to get back in the game. There are some books that can rescue you at times like these. Sit back with a cup of tea and one of them and you’ll find yourself recharged in no time. 

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown

‘Atlas of the Heart’ uses science-backed facts and research to teach us how to embrace our emotions and use meaningful language to build deeper connections with others. Brown explores over 87 human emotions and offers us tools to express and understand them. It’s a book for those who want to understand and be in more control of their emotions. Brown keeps reminding you, with impactful examples, that you must be your authentic self and embrace your vulnerabilities to truly master your emotions. The book is big and heavy with thick glossy pages but the good thing is the design is interactive with photos, graphics, and entire pages of contemplative quotes and questions. 

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

The book, in Mackesy’s words, is a “small graphic novel of images and conversations over a landscape.” The story is really simple and saying anything at all would be giving too much away. ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ is essentially a tale of friendship and courage that is comforting to read. It gives you a lot to mull over. The artwork is super fun to look at and you might be inspired to try and replicate it. You can also use the book as a journal of sorts as it has a lot of space for you to jot down your thoughts or stick some post-it notes (if, like me, you too hate the idea of scribbling on books). 

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

Matt Haig is an empathetic writer. His stories strike a chord and make you feel seen and heard. ‘The Midnight Library’, a fictional story about the choices that shape our lives, was such a heartwarming read. It was the best book I had read in 2020 and since then I have gone back to reread many of its passages. ‘The Comfort Book’, on the other hand, is non-fiction. It’s basically Haig’s reflections on the ups and downs of life and there’s a lot of wisdom there. There are positive affirmations, quotes, thoughts on food and books and anecdotes of inspirational people—it’s all very heartwarming. Also, the chapters or sections are short and you don’t have to read the book from start to finish. Just dip in and out and be charmed.

There are some books that I think everyone would benefit from reading. ‘Memorial’ by Bryan Washington is one of those rare ones that nudges our conscience and forces us to question our beliefs. The impact might not be immediately felt but stories like this, I believe, are essential to slowly chip away our biases and stubbornness. 

Memorial is the story of two gay men, Micheal and Benson. They have been together for four years and a kind of complacency has set in. Then Mike leaves for Japan, to visit his dying father. Ben is stuck at home in Texas, America, with Mike’s mother, Mitsuko, whose visit coincides with Mike’s trip. Soon, Mike is helping his father at his bar, thinking of taking over the family business. He has also met someone. Ben has settled into a comfortable, homey routine with Mitsuko. The distance gives the two time to reevaluate their relationship and figure out what they want for themselves.

But Memorial is so much more than a gay love story. The focus isn’t just on the couple’s relationship. It’s about what made them the people they are—their convoluted, dysfunctional relationships with their parents, coming to terms with their sexuality, and the lessons they learn as they navigate life’s ups and downs. Then there are all these side characters whose stories teach you a thing or two about love, loss, and being true to yourself.

I especially liked the brilliant exploration of the parent-child relationship. For anyone struggling with issues with their parents, reading Memorial is extremely cathartic. It makes you feel less alone—that maybe you aren’t the only unlucky one as you sometimes tend to think, that perhaps our relations with our parents can never be fully understood or that they can never be as good as we wish.

Washington’s prose is stunning. I suppose that is often the case when an author is clear about his subject and characters. He also writes with a lot of empathy. You feel for even the most problematic of characters—and there are a few of them. Reading Memorial is a stark yet comforting reminder that all human beings are inherently flawed, and that makes this unjust world feel a little more bearable. 

About the author

Bryan Washington is an American writer whose debut short story collection ‘Lot’ was published in 2019. Memorial, his first novel, came out a year later but rights to adapt it to television were sold before its publication. His work has been published in The New York Times, New Yorker, and BBC, among others. He is the recipient of the O. Henry award and the 2020 International Dylan Thomas Prize. 

Four stars

Fiction

Memorial

Bryan Washington 

Published: 2020

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Pages: 303, Paperback

Bookstores in Kathmandu suddenly started stocking up on Lisa Jewell’s thriller novels as ‘every other person kept asking for them’. I’d heard of her, and even downloaded one of her books (‘The Family Upstairs’) on Kindle. But I had never gotten around to reading it. I picked up ‘The Night She Disappeared’ as authors like Lee Child, Marian Keys, Lucy Foley, and Harlan Coben, to name a few, were raving about it. Coben calls it Jewell’s best thriller yet and Child says the suspense is insane. But I thought The Night She Disappeared was okay. It’s not the best thriller I’ve read, definitely not even one of the good ones. But I had fun while it lasted. 

The story follows the disappearance of 19-year-old teen-mother Tallulah and her boyfriend Zach. It’s 2017 and Tallulah goes on a date with her boyfriend, leaving her baby son Noah with her mother, Kim. The next morning, Kim wakes up to find her daughter hasn’t returned. She calls Tallulah’s friends and finds that she and Zach were last seen at a pool party in a private property near the woods in Surrey. She goes there to inquire and is told that they had called a taxi and left in the wee hours of the morning. 

It’s hinted that maybe the couple ran away. But Kim knows something is off. Tallulah wouldn’t just not come home. She wouldn’t leave Noah like that. A year later, the case has gone cold with no more leads to pursue. Sophie Beck, a mystery writer, moves into a house near the property where Tallulah was last seen. She comes across a sign that says ‘Dig Here’. There she finds a ring that Zach had bought for Tallulah. She then tries to piece together what might have happened that fateful night.   

The story is narrated from three different perspectives—Kim’s, Sophie’s and Tallulah’s. That keeps things fresh and interesting. However, you will easily be able to guess what’s going on, especially if you read thrillers. The writing isn’t that great either. The language feels a little lame at times. But I’d still recommend it if you want a light, breezy read to get your mind off something that is bothering you. 

About the author

Lisa Jewell is a New York Times and Sunday Times #1 bestselling author. Since her debut novel was published in 1999, she has written 18 more books and they have been published worldwide in 25 languages. She is best known for a number of dark psychological thrillers like ‘The Girls’, ‘Then She Was Gone’, and ‘The Family Upstairs’. She was born and lives in London.

Three stars 

Fiction

The Night She Disappeared

Lisa Jewell

Published: 2021

Publisher: Penguin Books

Pages: 482, Paperback 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55922299-the-night-she-disappeared

Prayaag Akbar’s debut novel ‘Leila’ was adapted into a Netflix series by Deepa Mehta. Starring Huma Qureshi, Rahul Khanna, and Sanjay Suri, among others, the series has six episodes and ends on a cliffhanger. I believe you should always read the book first and then watch its film or TV adaptation but, invariably, there are times I do the opposite. And I always regret it. Leila, the book is better than Leila, the series. The series is a little dramatized while the story in the book feels raw and real. Akbar writes well. It’s easy to conjure up scenes in your head. 

Essentially a story about a mother looking for her missing daughter, Leila is set in a dystopian world—a world that seems likely in the near future. It’s unsettling because of its plausibility. The world is divided into ‘sectors’, according to religion in order to maintain ‘purity’. Protected by walls and guarded by Repeaters (young men given the authority to enforce random rules to keep separate people according to race, class, and religion), people need permission to enter these sectors. Anyone who doesn’t follow strict rules is harshly punished. 

At the start of the novel, we see Shalini, the novel’s narrator, and her husband Rizwan, gearing up to celebrate their daughter’s birthday. Next thing we know, Shalini is in a ‘purity camp’—a place meant for women who don’t follow the rules. She’s lost her husband (he’s beaten brutally and probably killed) and her daughter (she vanishes along with her nanny, Sapna). From the camp, she’s sent to live in the Towers outside the city. As broken as her spirit might be, she’s determined to search for her daughter and 16 years on, she’s relentless in her pursuit. 

Leila is a great commentary on how class and religion divide us. It’s a reminder of our  bleak future if we continue to let traditional social constructs determine our actions. The book is also a heartfelt portrayal of maternal love, of the lengths a mother will go to care for and protect her child. Shalini, Akbar’s heroine, could be anyone of us. She’s not courageous or noble. She’s as good or bad as her circumstances. One minute you find yourself hating her for being so stubborn and then loving her the next as you see she’s trying and failing and yet not giving up. 

Those who read and love dystopian stories will perhaps get a sense of déjà vu. It’s oddly reminiscent of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. But Leila is dark and disturbing (and thus you are hooked) because it’s easy to imagine a future where things are happening exactly as described in the book.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34932175-leila 

Three stars

Fiction

Leila

Prayaag Akbar

Published: 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster 

Pages: 263, Paperback 

If I could only read one book for the rest of my life, it would have, until recently, been ‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman. Now I will replace that with Backman’s latest book ‘Anxious People’. It’s that good. Backman is a fantastic writer who understands human complexities and insecurities like no other author I’ve read. Anxious People made me happy. It made me sad. I laughed. I cried. It was such an immersive read. There are many characters but I can’t pick a favorite. They all have little pieces of my heart. 

A hilarious, outrageous novel about a robber who fails to rob a bank but sparks a hostage drama, the book touches issues of love, marriage and parenthood among many others. It’s very thought-provoking and uplifting. The story begins with a hostage drama. The hostage-taker has many problems in life—he is short on rent, and without a permanent place to stay he risks losing the custody of his daughter. But then he ends up trying to rob a cashless bank. When the cashier calls the police, he runs into a nearby apartment and takes hostage those who have come for the viewing. 

Among the hostages are a lesbian couple, Julia and Ro, who is expecting a baby, an 87-year-old woman Estelle, Zara, a uber-rich bank manager who is in therapy for depression, Anna-Lena and Roger, a long-married couple who buy and renovate properties and sell them for a profit, Lennart, a rabbit (won’t say more because spoiler alert!) and a real estate agent. Then there are the cops: Jim and Jack. They are also father and son. The hostage situation is their first ever ‘big’ case and they have to google to find out how to deal with it. 

Every character has his/her own backstory and so there’s a lot going on. But Backman juggles them with ease. You don’t lose track of the main plotline when the characters take you through their individual lives. You can see yourself or your loved ones in them. You can relate to their flaws. You struggle with the same problems. It’s all very humbling and calls for some introspection. 

Backman has battled anxiety and depression all his life and he explores these complex topics in all his books. In Anxious People, the book that apparently took the longest to write according to the author, these mental health issues are once again taken up with love and compassion. Despite dealing with heavy topics, the novel is refreshing and fun as Backman is witty and that keeps the narrative non-preachy. I’ve already recommended the book to my family and friends and I can’t wait to discuss it with them when they are done.

Five stars 

Fiction

Anxious People

Fredrik Backman

Translated by Neil Smith

Published: 2020

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Pages: 339, Hardcover