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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.

India’s Northeast, comprising eight states, covers almost eight percent of the country’s land area. But as these states share borders with Tibet, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal and the region’s indigenous people do not fit typical ‘Indian standards,’ they feel alienated in their own country. 

As close neighbors of India, we have probably witnessed this racial discrimination against Northeast Indians in real life, and recently in the news and media as well. 

Writer/director Anubhav Sinha yet again takes pressing social issues to mainstream Bollywood with his latest film “Anek”—which shows life, conflict and violence in Northeast India, albeit from an outsider’s viewpoint. 

Aman (Ayushmann Khurrana) is an undercover agent who goes by the alias Joshua. He is in the Northeast in a covert operation to bring Tiger Sangha (Loitongbam Dorendra), the top rebel leader of the region, to the negotiation table. 

The problem for Aman and his boss Abrar Butt (Manoj Pahwa) is that there is another rebel group called Johnson that has been winning over people. Not coincidentally though, Aman initially planted Johnson in the region to challenge Tiger’s authority. 

Now a whole different group is using the name and Aman has no idea who is leading it. There follows a series of power-play and politics that shed light into the actual situation in the Northeast. 

To blend in with the locals and help his espionage, Aman befriends Adio (Andrea Kevichusa), the daughter of a school teacher (Mipham Otsal) and an aspiring boxer who wants to represent India. Her father is against her becoming an Indian sportsperson and is himself involved with an underground rebel group. 

Aman’s relationship with Adio also complicates the movie’s plot. But those complications are only a small part of the conflicts the film highlights. A powerful rebel leader who has been fighting for secession for decades suddenly finds himself losing power. A skillful and deserving boxer is stripped off an opportunity to represent her country as “she doesn’t look like an Indian.” A mother struggles to save her teenage son from joining a rebel group. A teenager is forced by circumstances to join a rebel group. A ruthless agent suddenly starts having feelings for the people he has to betray. 

There are multiple conflicts and complications in the film but all of them point to one major problem—the alienation of people based on their looks and culture. Unlike Bollywood mainstreams in the past, the filmmakers of Anek do not decide on what is right or wrong. They just lay out a series of hypothetical situations and let the audience decide for themselves. 

With hard-hitting dialogues based more on ground reality and less on patriotic jingoism, Anek explores gray areas in politics and bureaucracy. Yes, it takes an outsider to the Northeast and puts him in a powerful position. But I don’t believe Aman’s character in the film has the traits of a savior. He too finds himself lost. Of course there are parts where the filmmakers have tried to appease the larger Indian audience with popular cinematic tropes, but wherever possible they have toned down the heroism to highlight the underlying issues. 

Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role is average. Had it not been for the film’s strong script and storyline, the experienced actor would have been a misfit. If “trying too hard” could be used to describe an actor, I think Khurrana would fit it perfectly. As for Manoj Pahwah and the rest of the Bollywood cast, they put on a good show befitting the script. 

The Northeastern actors, mostly new to me, just blend in with the film’s storyline. There is nothing striking about them but none of them looks out of place either. I think this is what acting is all about. Not overpowering your co-actors but still getting noticed.  

Who should watch it?

Although Anek is categorized as an action-thriller, it’s more of a drama. But it is intense. And people who love watching a combination of good writing, direction and acting will definitely enjoy Anek. 

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Action/drama

Actors: Ayushmann Khurrana, Andrea Kevichusa

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Run time: 2hrs 27mins

https://youtu.be/Vhldo272vO8