Favourite reads:
The Fat Book edition
my top five chunky reads so far
Shantaram
by Gregory David Roberts
944 pages
Shantaram is my all-time favourite book that I’ve ever read, and it’s definitely on my to-be-read again list. It transported me back to the second I landed in new Dehli, with the scents, colours and flavours of the India I know (and maybe love, but that’s a story for another time).
The story itself is incredible like I’ve never read before and I really loved the writing as well, following a convicted criminal’s arrival in India as his story unfolds, the relationships he builds, the community he becomes part of and exposing the multifaceted workings of the most fascinating culture. It’s quite a fat read but I remember that I got through it pretty quickly cause I just kept wanting to consume more and more.
Pachinko
by Min Jin Lee
560 pages
Read this book quite a while ago but I do remember it was so heart-wrenching and I cried in some parts. Min Jin Lee’s storytelling is phenomenal, and this book takes us across four generations from rural Korea to Japan across the 20th century, from the simple country girl who gets pregnant by a wealthy but married man and the hardships and suffering she and her future generations endured.
It was fascinating, saddening, held incredible caracther depth and reflects the reality that millions of East Asian women have suffered through at the hands of wartime abuse and a ruthless society.
The Silk Roads
by Peter Frankopan
656 pages
This was a loooooong one and took me an entire summer to get through, but I always recommend it to friends interested in world history because it details a direction of history we almost never encounter; how Eastern cultures have shaped the way we live in the West. I found that it really changed the way I approach news items, where we’re almost always used to the West being portrayed as the good guy and anything East of us is to blame.
Sometimes, almost always, a shift in perspective is essential to gnawing out the truth in a world bombarded by strong influences and biased media.
The Binding
by Bridget Collins
448 pages
19th century England is my jam and I love almost anything I read that’s set in that era. This one, as most do, included the magical twist of book binding, where one could visit a bookbinder to drop off memories they no longer want to be made into a book (books, books everywhere!). When Emmett is sent to become an apprentice to such a bookbinder while he nurses back his mental health, he’s drawn into its murkiest corners, that reveal the secrets behind the art, and a lot about himself.
It’s memorable not only because the gorgeous book cover reflects the intricate thought that went into building this universe, but also for its many twists and turns that left my jaw trailing the floor at some point.
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
736 pages
Of course I’d never forget A Little Life. I could never do justice in reviewing this one. It’s heartbreaking, absolutely beautiful from the first page to the very last, and leaves you questioning everything. Hanya Yanagihara is a sorceress of drawing up characters that we fall completely in love with, hate irrevocably, and weep for when they leave us, just as if you’ve lost a friend.
A Little Life probably needs no introduction, but in (very) short, it follows the life of four boys in and around New York from colleage up till later in life, focusing particularly on the brutal and unimaginably wretching life of Jude.
This book is beyond words and every page stamps another weight on your heart. Definitely, definitely recommend this to everyone.