I had set a goal to finish at least two medium-length books a week. I was happy. I slept happily. I woke the next morning, had breakfast, kept a bottle of water, and a notebook to well note things. Let’s get started. I finished one book after the other. I was awestruck by the amazing journey I was on. I saw the worlds of characters of fiction, lived in their skin, sensed their feelings that I am never likely to feel in real life. I saw how lonely Sai was, and Jemubhai even more so (Loss of Inheritance).
I was swinging in the realm of magic realism in The Midnight Children.
I wondered how lucky as well as sad it must feel like in the life of Salim Sinai. A great amount of perseverance was shown by women in Small Acts of Freedom; the strangeness of human relationships in The Metamorphosis. The one that I cherished the most was The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Ashoka’s character felt so much human and warm. He feels like someone with who no one would have complaints. Irrfan added a ton more sweetness to this character.
Ashima on the other hand got mixed with the American lifestyle like milk and honey. The couple felt like a warm blanket on a chilly winter night. Ah! I loved this book. And I miss Irrfan, we all do.
The last book I was reading was Man’s Search for Meaning (non-fiction) by Victor E. Frankl. Victor talked about the events at the Holocaust, how every single person dreaded the chimneys. How a little ray of hope and the love for his wife pulled Victor out of despair.
Sometimes, I feel we love fiction because we live through the characters and feel the emotions through them. The emotions are the ones that we are somewhat yearning to feel but are unable to.
Every book pushes boundaries that the former ones had set. They make us travel to places that we have never been to before or might never do. And no wonder I now know the corridors of the Yale and MIT thanks to Gogol and Ashoke!
Also, reading can keep you away from all the stupid nonsense! My mind is in the right place when I read. I intend to read as much as I can before I die. I would suggest you read the books I mentioned and there’s a lot more.
This is an amazing way to spend time if staying at home is killing you. Happy reading, you guys!