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“We are supposed to begin as the apple of our mother’s eyes. But I was more the maggot in the apple.”

Some opening sentences like the one from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times), and Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov (Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins) have become the most famous lines in literature. Opening sentences hold a lot of promise. It’s also perhaps the most important words of the book as it sets the tone of the plot. It’s what hooks the readers and starts the book with a bang, and that’s a lot to ask from the first few words. Most authors, if not all, feel the pressure to start off with a brilliant sentence. Not all get it right. For me, Joanne Glen definitely does in her novel ‘All My Mothers’.

The opening sentence is the reason I picked up the book despite it being the wrong size. The copy I have doesn’t have the regular book dimensions. The length to breadth ratio is off, making it difficult to hold when the book is open. I don’t know about other readers but I have to enjoy the shape and feel of a book while reading it. All My Mothers is one of those rare books that I didn’t like holding in my hands but I got sucked into the story and loved every word. And my love affair with the book started with the first line.

Eva Martinez-Green is an only child. It wouldn’t be a problem if her parents were involved in her life. But her mother has mental health issues and her father leaves, unable to cope with a volatile wife. Eva feels unwanted, like she doesn’t belong. She’s also unsure about where she comes from and wants answers. Her longing for a motherly figure is so strong that it becomes the guiding factor of her life’s trajectory. She meets women who challenge her idea of how a mother should be, forcing her to confront her demons.

The book is heavy with themes such as generational trauma, displacement, loss, and longing. But despite an overall melancholy vibe, the book won’t upset you. There’s a sense of hope that’s heartwarming. The chapters are short so it feels like the story is moving fast and you’re not bored at any point. Eva is a fully fleshed out character. There’s no aspect of hers that isn’t explored. She’s naïve, jealous, smart, forgiving, and even horrible at times—she’s you and me. You can relate to Eva even if you haven’t had a complex childhood as she has had. If you have, reading All My Mothers will give you some closure for sure. It will make you look at people as humans and accept that there are and always will be flaws in all of us.

Fiction

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57207910-all-my-mothers 

All My Mothers

Joanna Glen

Published: 2021

Publisher: The Borough Press

Pages: 471, Paperback

Comedy often has a short shelf life. What is funny today, might not be funny 10 years down the line, depending on the context. It’s also subjective. You and your friend might not find the same thing funny. Having said that, there are some classics that will tickle your funny bone no matter what. You might roll your eyes at the incredulity but it will lighten your mood. Here, we recommend five of our favorites that you can choose from this weekend, when the unpredictable weather doesn’t allow you to do anything else.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a 1994 American comedy film starring Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura, an animal detective who is tasked with finding the abducted dolphin mascot of the Miami Dolphins football team. It’s a cult classic that made Carrey a Hollywood star. It’s silly and awkward at times but a laugh riot nonetheless. There are many visual gags and funny one-liners. Since there is also suspense in the plot, the movie grips you from start to finish. Carry is not everyone’s cup of tea. His brand of comedy might be a bit over the top for some people but we think no one should give Ace Ventura a miss. 

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

A swinging hipster from the 60s, Mike Myers (Powers) puts himself in a deep freeze for 30 years to pursue his archenemy, Dr Evil (Mike Myers). He is thawed out in the 90s when Dr Evil reappears and plans to drill a missile to the center of the earth and destroy the world.

We have to admit that this comedy of the 90s might not be entertaining for today’s generation but Austin Powers will provide you with the escapism you need. He takes comedy to another level with his expressions and body language.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

There are a total of three films in this franchise but we recommend the one that came out in 2002 featuring Nia Vardalos and John Corbett in the lead. It’s a light-hearted comedy that stands the test of time as so many of the family issues shown in the movie are as relevant today as they were back then. Everyone in the Portokalos family is worried about Toula (Vardalos). She is 30 and unmarried. Then she falls in love with Ian Miller (Corbett), a teacher who is handsome but not Greek. He is also a vegetarian. Toula’s family doesn’t want her to marry this man and chaos ensues. 

Home Alone

Eight-year-old Kevin is accidentally left behind when his family leaves for France. At first, he’s happy to be in charge of the house. But then thieves try to break into his home and he has to put up a fight like no other. The result is a tense but hilarious drama that you will be glued to till the end. Again, there are a few films in the franchise as ‘Home Alone’ is a series of American Christmas family comedy films originally created by John Hughes. We suggest you start at the beginning with the one that came out in 1990. The novelty will wear off after a couple of films as each one features an isolated child left to defend himself but the first one is guaranteed to make you laugh while cheering for Kevin. 

Mr Bean’s Holiday

We remember watching Mr Bean as children and his silly antics always made us laugh. We confess it still does. In ‘My Bean’s Holiday’ the hapless Mr Bean is on a vacation on the French Riviera. There, as everything that could possibly go wrong always does when Mr Bean is around, he becomes ensnared in an accidental kidnapping because of a case of mistaken identity. Mr Bean separates a father and son and then travels with the son in search of his father. Rowan Atkinson, as Mr Bean, is phenomenal. He is what makes the character so hilarious.

In ‘Maybe Next Time’ by novelist and screenwriter Cesca Major, we meet Emma Jacobs. She is a literary agent. She loves her job which is basically reading books and discovering new authors. She has a loving husband, Dan, and two wonderful children, Poppy and Miles. But she’s always rushed—her phone pings all the time, she has meetings to attend, and books to get published. She loves her family but she, like most of us, has unknowingly placed them at the bottom of her priority list. She and Dan had a deal, which was to write a letter to each other on their anniversary. Emma always forgets. She has, even though she will never admit it, taken her family for granted.

Then one day everything changes and her family and life will never be the same again. But she finds herself stuck in a time loop. The same day keeps repeating itself but the outcome is unchanged. If she can fix her mistakes, will she be able to rewrite the future? The metaphysical aspect of the story makes you contemplate life and how you are living it. As Emma tries to do things differently to change the course of her life, she starts noticing how focusing on unnecessary things was complicating her life for no reason. Knowing what she knows about how the day will end, she is forced to slow down and take pleasure in all the little things, and value those she loves.

I have a shelf dedicated to my favorite books. It has books like ‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl, ‘A Man Called Ove’ by Fredrik Backman, ‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller, and ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ by Delia Owens among several others. These are books that I will recommend to everyone I meet, think about with love and longing, and absolutely refuse to lend when someone invariably asks for them. I don’t want to part with them. Not now. Not ever.

Maybe Next Time went right on this shelf after I finished it. Come to think about it, it could easily be in my top five all-time favorites. I must admit I didn’t like the cover art. Plus it was a love story and I’m not much into that genre. However, it was a Reese’s Book Club pick and I tend to like books that the club chooses. So, despite the glaring orange title on a light yellow and blue backdrop (all clashing horribly), I got the book. As shallow as it sounds, I believe these things matter. I’ve often not bought books I’ve been wanting to read because it didn’t feel right—something about the pages or the cover would be off.

But this time I’m glad I didn’t because Maybe Next Time is so good. The writing is smooth and you breeze through the story. The storyline keeps you hooked. You are always wondering what Emma will do next. It makes you think about life and, as cliché as it sounds, teaches you the value of the present moment. Nothing but the present is guaranteed, and the book, for me, hammered in that point like no other story has ever done. The movie adaptation is in the works and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I’m sure it will be a tearjerker though, just like the book.

Four and a half stars

Fiction

Maybe Next Time

Cesca Major

Published: 2023

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 376, Paperback

2024 is a year of rereads. Four months into the year and I’ve reread more books than I have read new releases. There’s something comforting about escaping into a familiar world, one which you know will not disappoint you. ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman is a book that never lets you down. There are various versions of the book and the one I picked up this time is a recently published edition that has an extra short story on one of the characters in the book. I just love it when an author decides to give you more background on a story you love.

Neverwhere tells the story of Richard Mayhew who lives in London. He doesn’t have the most fascinating life but he’s doing okay. Then, one day, on his way to meet his high-flying, overly ambitious girlfriend’s boss, he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on the street. This act of kindness turns his world upside down—and quite literally so.

He lands up in London Below where there are angels and murderers. It looks and seems like London but there’s something dark and sinister about it. There are beasts and Earls who hold court in a tube train. And Richard finds himself thrust in the heart of danger. There are two thugs who want to kill him. He must find a way to escape this place and make it back home before it’s too late. But how does he do that when he doesn’t have anyone to help him? And the only girl who might be able to fix his life seems to be on a mission to avenge her family’s murder, that too without a clue about who murdered her family in the first place.

The setup is flawless. The execution is great. You will not be bored for a second. The world of London Below that Gaiman creates in Neverwhere is magical. It transforms a real city into an entirely new world. You meet rats that can talk, and people-lookalike who eat frogs and bite off human heads. It’s a dangerous world but one that is full of possibilities. Anything can happen in London Below and your life would forever be altered in London Above. Reading Neverwhere feels a little like sitting on a rollercoaster without any safety guard.

Neverwhere was actually written for television but the book is much better. In the introduction to the text, Gaiman says the Neverwhere on screen wasn’t the one he had in his head. Every scene or line that was cut eventually found its way into the book so there’s a lot more here than on the tv adaptation. It’s the full experience. And trust me on this one, the book gets better with each reread as there’s just so much to unpack in the story.