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In December last year, I read Matt Haig’s ‘The Midnight Library’ and wrote a review calling it the best book I’d read in 2020. I wanted everyone to read it. I’ve been meaning to buy a few copies and gift it to some of my friends and relatives. Thinking about it still makes me warm and giddy.

Since then, I’ve followed Matt Haig on Twitter and searched for his books everywhere I went. He is a writer who creates highly imaginative worlds and I want more. Haig has written a few non-fiction books and lots of children’s stories. Sadly, his books aren’t widely available here in Nepal and I want physical copies rather than digital editions. So, I haven’t been able to read any of his fascinating sounding children’s books, like ‘The Truth Pixie’, ‘To Be a Cat’ and ‘The Girl Who Saved Christmas’.

I did, however, find ‘Notes on a Nervous Planet’ and though it’s non-fiction, I bought it straight away because it was Haig. The Midnight Library had me convinced that you couldn’t go wrong with him. I wasn’t disappointed.

His writing style in Notes on a Nervous Planet is very conversational. It’s almost as if a friend is talking to you. Haig doesn’t beat around the bush and puts things quite bluntly. Thus, the chapters are short and you don’t feel like you are hearing/reading the same thing for 500 words when a 100 would have sufficed.

Many of the things he talks about in the book—the role of social media in our lives, how news makes us more anxious, and why humans always want more—are issues we are well aware of. But Haig doesn’t only talk about the problems. He offers solutions to those problems as well. It gets you thinking. There are also lists of things you’d do well to remember. These are the bits that have had me dipping in and out of the book time and again.

I know there are many self-help books out there that offer similar advice and that Haig’s book isn’t unique or important. But the fact that Haig has been through many of the problems himself makes his advice meaningful. You want to take Haig’s advice because you know they are tried and tested. His words feel honest and he is really witty too. In a way, reading Notes on a Nervous Planet makes you feel a little less lonely.

On Twitter, Haig is vocal about mental health issues, mainly anxiety and depression. When he was 24, Haig wanted to kill himself and he stopped just a step away from jumping off a cliff. How he got from there to where he is today is a lesson in itself and we can learn a lot of that from Notes on a Nervous Planet.

Non-fiction

Notes on a Nervous Planet

Matt Haig

Published: 2018

Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Language: English

Pages: 310, Paperback

Netflix’s “New releases” section this week didn’t have many new films. Instead, most new releases were old Hollywood movies, some dating back almost two decades. So what do I do? I take Google’s help and come across something I’d strangely missed this year. The 2020 American movie “I Care a Lot” was released on Netflix in February 2021 and had somehow evaded my watchful eyes. So the black comedy written and directed by J Blakeson became my muse this weekend. 

Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) does social service in Massachusetts, US, taking guardianship of elders who cannot take care of themselves and are abandoned or ignored by their families. She then places them in elderly homes and also manages whatever funds they have. To the world, Marla is a kind-hearted social service entrepreneur. 

But all of this is a sham. She is actually a scammer who targets vulnerable elderly people, fabricates illnesses for them, and convinces courts to give her their guardianship. With the court orders, she locks up her old victims in a facility where they are heavily sedated and not allowed to contact anyone outside. Marla then usurps all their assets and savings. 

Marla is a successful con-woman with a booming business when she finds her new target— Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), a wealthy retiree with no family. With her partner-in-crime Dr. Karen Amos (Alicia Witt), Marla convinces the judge that Jennifer is suffering from dementia and takes over her custody, at the same time rummaging through her wealth. But things turn ugly for Marla soon as Jennifer, presumed to be a loner, turns out to have a son, Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage), a Russian mafia boss. Roman’s entry into the script causes havoc in Marla and her partner Fran’s (Eiza González) lives. The conflict that ensues constitutes the story of “I Care a Lot.”

The film centers on the idea of choosing your evils—the Devil or the deep blue sea? Initially, you may hate Marla for cheating the vulnerable elderly. She appears ruthless and spiteful. But when you follow her through the story and watch her encounters with Roman and his gang members, you might also empathize with her. Granted that Marla is malicious, but Roman is not a saint either and Jennifer has a closet full of skeletons too. “I Care a Lot” just paints the picture of the real world where there is more grey than black or white. 

J Blakeson’s writing and direction keep the film sharp and edgy throughout. It is hard enough to get the audience engaged in your story; it’s a different ballgame altogether to be able to play with their minds. And Blakeson does that in I Care a Lot. The constantly paced, up-tempo movie needs the audience to be active thinkers to get past it. It is not easy to choose sides. 

Blakeson’s efforts are matched and surpassed by Rosamund Pike playing Marla (for which she also won the 2021 “Golden Globe Award for Best Actress—Motion Picture Comedy or Musical”). As a merciless scammer who has placated her conscience with twisted reasoning, Pike’s Marla is one of the strongest female characters we have seen lately. She is brilliant throughout and outshines Hollywood heavyweights like Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest. Not taking away anything from the two seasoned actors; it’s just that Pike’s character as well as her acting are just too strong for anyone to even come close. 

Who should watch it?

I Care a Lot is a declared dark comedy and a disguised action thriller. This means there’re many things to watch out for and enjoy for a wide range of audience. The film, at 1hr 58mins, might feel a bit lengthy for some (including this reviewer), but clever screenplay/direction and fantastic acting do not let you get bored easily. 

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Comedy, drama
Director: J Blakeson
Actors: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Dianne Wiest
Run time: 1hr 58min

Death in our part of the world is followed by a period of penance-like mourning for the rest of the family. In a typical Hindu family, the mourning starts from the day of cremation and lasts for 13 consecutive days whereby the bereaved family has to follow strict restrictions. This extended period of mourning, compared to other religions, makes funerals more somber for the Hindus.

Now imagine someone making a film on this. One would expect melancholy to reign. But the freshly released “Pagglait” on Netflix turns a gloomy affair into dark comedy, sometimes so hilarious that laughter is inevitable. No wonder the Hindi-language comedy-drama, written and directed by Umesh Bist, is being talked about so much on social media.

Sandhya Giri (Sanya Malhotra) is a young widow who is yet to come to terms with the death of her husband Astik. As the rest of the family is crying their hearts out on the day of his funeral, Sandhya can’t find herself shedding a tear. In the days to follow, while still within the 13-day mourning period, Sandhya is aloof about the proceedings around her. She is instead craving for potato chips, Pepsi and gol gappas, all off limits.

While her parents, in-laws and the rest of the family members are shocked at Sandhya’s indifference at her husband’s death, Sandhya also gets into a mental conflict when she finds a girl’s photograph in Astik’s cupboard. She gets obsessed about finding the truth behind what she thinks is an affair between the girl Aakanksha (Sayani Gupta) and Astik. Her conflict is further aggravated and involves the whole family when they discover that Astik has taken out a huge life insurance package with Sandhya as its only nominee.

The story of “Pagglait” is as colorful as its ensemble cast comprising of some of the most talented actors in Indian cinema. Ashutosh Rana as Astik’s father Shivendra Giri, Sheeba Chaddha as his mother Usha, Raghubir Yadav as his uncle Roshan Sethi, and Meghna Malik as auntie Tulika, are just some of the recognizable names in the long list of lively characters the film features. Just as its complete story cannot be narrated in the review, nor can all its impactful characters be named for the sake of brevity, which is a shame. An unending series of conflicts, large and small, as well as the impact each character has on screen makes Pagglait a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

But Pagglait also portrays a bitter truth about patriarchal societies. It questions the legitimacy of arranged marriages where strangers marry strangers, because their families think it’s right. Probably one reason why Sandhya doesn’t feel much pain at her husband’s loss. Pagglait also refuses to make its central character Sandhya a typical Indian woman burdened with expectations from her family. Instead, Sandhya is free-spirited and unorthodox, hence people calling her ‘pagglait’ (mad/crazy).

There are a number of issues that the filmmakers want to tackle with Pagglait. But in the 1h 54mins movie, sometimes we wish the makers had stuck to the core theme instead. Some conflicts seem to be taking the light away from the central idea. Had the entire cast not been at their best elements, the screenplay would have ruined the film’s entertainment quotient, and we are thankful that never happens. Also, the music by singer Arijit Singh in his debut as a musician is a bummer save for a few melodious moments.

Who should watch it?

Right from its opening shot, we know Pagglait is going to be an offbeat mainstream movie. In that belief, we are not disappointed. Yes, the movie has its shortcomings but nothing big enough to dampen its watchability. Pagglait is a breath of fresh air for everyone who enjoys good cinema. Specially recommended to people with a sense of humor.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Drama, comedy

Director: Umesh Bist

Actors: Sanya Malhotra, Ashutosh Rana, Raghubir Yadav

Run time: 1hr 54mins

Most of us read a lot more during the Covid-19 lockdowns than we did before. Had it not been for the pile of books I had bought but hadn’t got around to reading before the pandemic, I would have probably gone bat-shit crazy within a week of staying at home all day long. Getting lost in fictitious worlds was what kept many of us sane during such maddening times.

Though I read many good books during the lockdown, even tackling some that had been on my to-be-read list for years, there’s one I recently read that I wish I had gotten around to sooner: Emma Donoghue’s ‘The Pull of the Stars’.

This book, I believe, would have helped me make sense of the world I was suddenly thrust into and also given me some much-needed comfort. Although grim and heartbreaking, Donoghue’s 11th novel mimics present-day Covid crisis and makes you feel a little less alone and doomed.

The Pull of the Stars is a historical fiction based on the 1918 influenza-pandemic. Set in Dublin, at the beginning of the contagion, the story unfolds over three days in a Dublin hospital. It’s narrated by a nurse, Julia Powers, who is in charge of a maternity fever ward where expectant mothers who seem to have come down with an unfamiliar flu are quarantined together. Though the ward doesn’t get many patients, the women who do end up there are in the latter stages of their pregnancies. With hospital resources stretched thin and a deadly flu doing the rounds, Julia has to constantly deal with life-and-death situations.

There’s also Dr Kathleen Lynn and a young volunteer, Bridie Sweeney, who are fighting to save lives alongside Julia. The friendship that develops between these three women is also something Donoghue has chosen to focus on besides just how the world dealt with a crisis in those times. I especially loved that side of the story as it was a reminder of the fact that love blooms in the unlikeliest of places and that we are all trying to do the best we can.

I have read Donoghue’s internationally bestselling novel ‘Room’, inspired by the Josef Fritzl case where a girl was held captive and raped by her father for 24 years. It would be wrong to say I enjoyed it because the subject matter was so grotesque but Donoghue’s writing style is crisp and you completely fall for the story, hook, line, and sinker. In The Pull of the Stars too, Donoghue’s prose is visceral and you get the sense of urgency in the cramped, tiny ward where healthcare workers are fighting against all odds.

The story also shines light on how those who have been neglected by the society are often the ones who suffer the most, and that things are no different when there’s a health crisis.

There’s a section in the book where Dr Lynn criticizes the government for Dublin’s poverty and high infant mortality. Julia, however, says she doesn’t have time for politics to which Dr Lynn replies, “Oh, but everything’s politics, don’t you know?”

It is moments like these, and there are plenty of them, that make the book so relevant in today’s times.

I have recommended this book to friends only to be told they don’t want to read something that reminds them of a situation they are yet to get over. But The Pull of the Stars makes you realize what we are going through isn’t unique and thus makes it a little easier, in your head, to endure the rough times we are living through.

Fiction

The Pull of the Stars

Emma Donoghue

Published: 2020

Publisher: Picador

Language: English

Pages: 294, Paperback