In the last quarter, my reading suffered a bit and I did not read as any books as I usually do. But I did read some notable ones and they definitely stayed with me.
I attended the Sydney’s Writers Fest in May for the first time. Surrounded by writers and books was my idea of heaven. I was hoping that the euphoria will help me read more but I am not sure what derailed me and my reading suffered.
The book that I most loved was Good People by Patmeena Sabit. Written entirely as interviews, the author has cleverly woven the whole story through it. I have never read a book like that and it really jolts you to think about narratives and how they shape reality. Set in the US around an immigrant Afghan family, the story shows the trials and tribulation of culture clashes and fitting in a different place. For her debut novel, the author has aced it and I look forward to reading more from her.
The book that I found really hard to complete and took most of my energy last quarter was Heart Lamp: Selected stories by Banu Mushtaq, translation by Deepa Bhasthi. Originally written in Kannada, the stories are about everyday lives of Muslim women in southern india. The translated version won the International Booker Prize. I struggled to read the book partly coz I think translation took away some of the colloquial aspects and also coz some of the treatment of women so starkly described made me angry. It is a hard book to read if you have not grown up in the culture and are unfamiliar with what the writer is portraying. It can be very confrontational.
The book that I most loved was Good People by Patmeena Sabit. Written entirely as interviews, the author has cleverly woven the whole story through it. I have never read a book like that and it really jolts you to think about narratives and how they shape reality. Set in the US around an immigrant Afghan family, the story shows the trials and tribulation of culture clashes and fitting in a different place. For her debut novel, the author has aced it and I look forward to reading more from her.
The last notable book to mention is The Correspondent by Virginia Scott. Another highly rated book, it is made entirely of letter written by the protagonist Sybil Van Antwerp. Reading it, I thought I could be Sybil and she could also be one of my dear friends. The book is about connections to people who we have ever met through letters, something people of my generation can relate to. I grew up with pen pals and letter writing. A heart warming and thoughtful book, it makes you realise that a life fully lived can have very different meanings.
I have started my next novel and hopefully this quarter will be better than the last. Here’s to more books and more reading