Disha Shetty > Recent Status Updates

Lord have mercy. I am about to embark on this journey.

Ordered a paperback on impulse because my mind just kept going back to this book sample. I need to know how this story unfolds. I doubted my ability to enjoy an epistolary novel but Sybil Van Antwerp has been on my mind.

I'm back at the mercy of my favourite storyteller. Every time I return, I want to feel the way I felt when I read "What the Wind Knows" for the first time.

This one has me hooked but but but. Please write a phenomenal new story, Amy! Pretty please.

I completed reading the Kindle sample that allows me to read 10% of the novel free of charge. I'm debating whether I want to pay 400 rupees to buy the full copy.

I might put this one aside and come back to it later.

Our protagonist hasn't been arrested yet. What?

I read, read and read. I read for half an hour and see that I have only made 1% progress. That's tough. But the beauty of this book is unmatched. My progress graph frustrates me but I don't regret a single second I spent reading these pages.

What an absolutely horrible father Fyodor Pavlovich is! I feel so much empathy for Mitya. He stood no chance in this world and in that society. Poor thing! We don't know much about Vanya yet except that he is a deep thinker and a troubled soul. I know Alyosha is supposed to be loved by all but I don't feel that affection for him yet.

Took me a while to get adjusted to the author's cynicism and brutal honesty. It's an acquired taste. 380 pages in, I'm starting to get a hang of it. I might be a little addicted by the end of it.

I'm invested at this point. I'm getting a hang of the writing style and I have accepted the characters for who they are. Imperfect though he is, Sunny seems like the best male character so far in this book.

Sonia and Sunny still haven't met. I wait patiently. I'm happy to go on like this for another 200 pages. 😅

At 25% mark, Sunny and Sonia have still not met.

By this point, you know the many experiences that have shaped Sonia's personality.

Sonia calls on her family from the States and tells them that she feels lonely. However, her family have no reference point to understand what that feeling is about. "Lonely? Lonely?" they all say. That word doesn't exist in their vocabulary. You will slowly get to know the why.

It's time for a re-read. This is our book club pick and I have forgotten everything about the book other than the fact that I really enjoyed it.

I remember that I wished for a different ending for the protagonist the last time. I have a feeling that this current version of me will love the ending this time round.

What did I know about Cyprus and her people before I picked this book up? I couldn't even point at it on a map if anyone asked.

Now? I feel like an ally

Oh staaap! I cannot be highlighting, underlining every passage now!

As a tree lover, I'm in for a treat. A talking Tree!

This time round, we are listening to a talking, feeling, thinking tree. Take my money Elif S.

Show, not Tell. This book is serving 'Show, not tell' in dollops. I cannot put this down. When I'm not reading, I'm constantly thinking about the characters.

I don't care for these characters. The plot is great but I'm craving for more meat. Supporting characters are caricature-ish.

This book reads like a hollywood movie screenplay. There is no insight into the inner turmoil of the characters. It's all very robotic "I wake up. The lights are on. I walk to the window. I pull at the curtains. It rained yesterday" sort of writing.

Why though?

At the 70% mark, after reading 500+ pages, I'm bawling. I get the appeal of reading longer books now

You get so engrossed in the mundane details, and you get so invested in the lives of each character by this time. There's no going back now.

This saga has transported me to 20th century Kerala, India. I can relate to the descriptions and details because the setting is similar to that of my own childhood. The life of Big Ammachi sounds very similar to my own grandmother's tales.

I live for these details.

I joined my office book club and we're doing this book in December.

I can relate so well. This is taking me back to the time of my early days of motherhood. The confusion, the grieving, feelings - so many feelings, numbness, my whole being overflowing with love, resentment towards my husband, the unfairness of it all. Who is this new me? Where did my old self disappear? Will I ever find my way back to her?

3 years down the line, I still haven't found her.