vighnesh's reviews
385 reviews

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Small Things Like These is set in a small Irish town during Christmas of 1985. It follows Furlong, a coal and timber merchant and his life and encounters during the festive season.

Just over a 100 pages, this book economically shines light on the Magdalen laundries in Ireland, where young girls with babies born out of wedlock were forced to work long hours and where many of them died and many lost their babies, and they lives they could have had. These laundries were run and financed by the Catholic Church in concert with the Irish State.

While being a large issue, Claire Keegan crafts a short story that looks at it from a very personal and human level. Everything in this tiny book is intentional and once you're done reading it you realise just how smartly written it is.

The setting, its characters and their reflections, it is all so well crafted.

I am in awe of how Claire Keegan writes and I am definitely going to be reading her other books.

Small Things Like These is a tiny, concentrated book which talks about a dark period of Irish social history with care and a hope for humanity.

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Passage North is a, contemplative and important book which goes into the minutest of details of the human condition, the civil war in Sri Lanka in a philosophical manner with genuinely moving prose. This is one to read if you enjoy books where nothing much happens, but the writing is beautiful and it’s full of observations on everything. 

A Passage North follows Krishan, a Jaffnese living in Colombo as he journeys back to Jaffna to attend the funeral of his grandmother’s caretaker.

If you are unconvinced by that description, I wouldn’t be surprised because nothing really happens in this book. Yet, I enjoyed it so much and out of the few books I’ve read this year, this is easily my favourite. 

This is most surprising to me because a few years back, I would have been bored by this book. So I think my enjoyment of it speaks more to my growth and learning to appreciate books on observations because that is what A Passage North is essentially.

The book is made up of long, winding sentences talking about observations of human behaviour and contemplating many of our actions and why we do things. It is highly philosophical but not in a way that is hard to grasp. 

Every word and sentence feels highly thought out and the message the author tries to give is conveyed really well. The writing is beautiful, so beautiful. I remember reading the first few sentences on the first page and I was in awe at how Anuk Arudpragasam even managed to string the words together. There are many sentences that’ll make you feel that way. 

However, what I found to be the best thing of this book was the tender approach it has to speaking about what can be considered a genocide of the Tamils in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It’s an issue we don’t talk about enough and I implore you to learn more about it. The only reason I know is because I am half Ceylonese. I have close relatives that had to flee Jaffna because they were not safe. The book talks about a plethora of things relating to this under a microscope. He hones in on individuals all affected by the war which makes it feel extremely personal and real, only making you feel even more for them. 

However you have to remember that while some characters are fictional, this story and what it talks about is rooted in a harsh reality that was life for many people. Many Tamils have lost loved ones, had to flee their homes and hold trauma from these events. I feel that this book is a loudspeaker for them, it has allowed for many of their stories to be told.

The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

An amazing book to read for an introduction into economics. Highly engaging, covering a range of topics with a witty voice and not getting too technical making it accessible. Conversely, if you are well read in economics, this may be too basic for you and I agree, it scratches the surface of economics but this is essentially what one needs as an introduction because it lured you in and makes you want to learn more about economics and the way our world functions.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Poe is economical and manages to make such a huge impact with the carefully chosen words that string together sentences that paint a sinister picture in your head and send chills down your spine. I savoured Poe's writing and I am itching to pick up his other works. I loved the use of an unreliable narrator and how now I cannot stop thinking about the story and whether certain things actually happened or were all in this unnamed narrator's mind.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

informative reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was gripping, timely and important. Vital reading for anyone living in the modern society as this book showcases how race, class and privilege play a painfully huge role in our interactions with each other and all the messiness that can unfold.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I absolutely adore the fashion in which Sally Rooney writes such unlikable yet realistic characters living their mundane lives and all their interactions with each other. Loved her writing, loved reading her characters and especially loved Sally Rooney funneling her thoughts on the modern life through her work.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It had all the key elements to make a book I would love however I feel that the execution was its biggest flaw. Its a good book but it lacked the wow factor for me.

Dune by Frank Herbert

adventurous challenging informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

While this book is highly dense, I would say it is worth it. The best thing about Dune was it’s world. It is lush and rich, so expansive and I love how I could picture everything so well. Frank Herbert does a really good job at painting the scene in the reader’s mind. I loved the political stakes, I literally couldn’t put it down for the last 100 pages. The tension was built and it was suspenseful and I appreciated that ending. I felt it wrapped things up realistically but also nicely. The emphasis of the scarcity of water was so well done and I loved how it was so integral to the story. I felt that that aspect of this book could spark many important conversations on the actions we’re taking to care for our environment. I found it ahead of it’s time and this shows that Dune is not just a sci-fi but a novel that seeks to
make commentary on our world which is just so smart. I would definitely say that this book is more of a challenge than it is enjoyable mainly because the first 100 pages, I basically didn’t understand anything because of the jargon causally being thrown around with no context. In the second part, things get really slow and I had to push through. While I definitely enjoyed the world building, there are times when it’s not balanced with the actual story so it can get a bit boring. Also, the characters literally have no personality. Paul and Jessica are very calculative and observant but that’s about it. I feel that this book definitely has its problems but keep in mind this was published in the 60’s so it’s definitely not acceptable, it just fits with the time it was released. In conclusion, if you want a book with a well crafted, deeply explored world that is rich with culture and  politics propelling the story, you should read Dune.