For every reader, most books are full of stories and tales of characters that undergo changes that help them either mould the situation to their preference or mould themselves to get along with the situation at hand in the narrative. Some books make you laugh at the protagonist’s antics, others make you laugh, yet some others make you wonder. But every once in a while comes a book between the covers of which lies a tale that touches you and leaves a warm tender feeling inside you. Such books will have within them words, ideas, thoughts or maybe even singular sentences that might tug at your heartstrings and make you want to hold the book close to your bosom, forgetting that it’s a book and not a living, breathing being. If a book does that to you, it achieved its purpose.
Here are seven such books that you should add to your reading list, or should we say “hugging list”?
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant is a woman in her late 20s with zero social life and is obviously, miserably socially awkward. She’s the kind of woman who sticks to rules, works a boring finance job, and does the same things over and over again. She is unhappy but describes herself as “completely fine”. The routine is broken when Eleanor gets enamoured by a singer and decides he is the love of her life. Of course, it leads to disappointment, at the same time, it opens the doors to a bigger wound – her childhood. With time though, she finds the company of Raymond, an office colleague and though no romantic angle develops, she is able to find herself.
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
The Book of Goose is the story of Agnes and Fabienne living in poverty in the French countryside, but not succumbing to the pains of life that their parents and everybody else in the village succumb to. They entertain themselves, they lie in the cemetery and wonder if they could grow happiness like apples and oranges? Agnes and Fabienne both get opportunities of a life-time that could completely turn their lives around, but in the end they both choose to cast them away, because they have something more, something beyond what they call ‘the real world’ – they have a world of their own.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
This is a heart-melting, gut-wrenching story of a blind French girl – Marie-Laure – who takes refuge in Nazi-invaded Paris, and Werner, a young and extremely intelligent German boy who is deployed in the Nazi army. Though their paths only cross at the end, the connection between the two is made throughout the novel, even though they live extremely different lives. Marie is part of the resistance, delivering secret messages, while Werner is supposed to kill. But after the battle of St. Malo, the reader finds out, in a way they’re the same. There’s both tragedy and healing in the right amount in this book.
Pearl by Sian Hughes
An unforgettable and heart-warming story that is worth revisiting several times, if you’re trying to make sense of the people in your life. This is the story of Marianne, now a mother herself, who was abandoned by her own motherhood when she was 8. Marianne is finally able to make sense of her mother, and the ‘family history of grief that runs through her family’, and carve a narrative of her disappearance from considering who her mother was rather than what happened. So much pain, love, healing and wisdom in one small book.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
Ove is a typical grumpy old man who dislikes everyone and everything and is simply waiting to die. But Ove wasn’t always this way – life has made him into who he is. So when life sends a cheerful couple as next-door neighbours to Ove, he can’t make sense of it at first, and dislikes them. Until eventually, both Ove and the couple are able to find healing in each other.
Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra
Chilean Poet is the story of a dysfunctional, make-do family legacy. The family or the lack of it, consists of a woman Carla, her ex-lover Gonzalo and Carla’s son, Vicente, who life ultimately separates. But Vicente holds on to something he got from Gonzalo, that no one can take away: poetry. Through his love for poetry and the poets, Vicente finds his way through relationships and the meanings they carry – what it means to be a lover, a friend, a father, a poet and more.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
In this comical treatment of an extremely difficult childhood, Trevor Noah tells his own story of coming-of-age, his dangerous and sometimes abusive childhood, and the one person who not only helped him survive it, but contributed to him making something of himself: his mother. Trevor also recounts his mother’s struggles, tracing up to the point where she gets shot by her ex-husband, but survives. At the end, the reader has learnt so much about life and it feels almost triumphant.
Pick up any or all of the books from any Kunzum store or WhatsApp +91.8800200280 to order. Buy the book(s) and the coffee’s on us.
About the Reviewer:
Samiksha Ransom is a writer and editor. Her work has appeared in Tint Journal, EKL Review, The Chakkar, JAKE, The Lake, Live Wire (by The Wire), The Friday Poem and more. Her work was longlisted for the Poet’s in Vogue Challenge by the Young Poet’s Network, UK in 2023. Currently, Samiksha also edits for The Selkie Publications CIC and The Dawn Review. In the past, she has edited for the borderline and The Terrarium (Hellebore Press) literary magazines. In her newsletter, ‘Letters from Sam – Conversations, Maybe’ on Substack, she shares writing and publishing tips. She also teaches creative writing workshops occasionally. You can reach out to her on Instagram and Linktree.