#LeMillRecommends: Reading on Air

Long weekends are on the horizon and if you’re anything like us, which books you take on the plane is a well-thought-out decision that requires a lot of planning and consideration. Our priority is always carrying books, we’re sure we can finish on a single flight, so you’re not left wondering what’s going to happen if you can’t find the time when on holiday (and it just so happens to fit more easily in your carry-on). To make your book packing a lot faster than ours usually does, here is a list of books you can totally finish in one flight.

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

Reading beyond our tiny borders shows us what we’ve been missing and proves the necessity of translation for a dynamic literary culture: originally written in Kannada, Ghachar Ghochar is both fascinatingly different from much Indian writing in English and provides a masterclass in crafting, particularly on the power of leaving things unsaid. In this novella, Vivek Shanbhag weaves a web of suggestion and implication, to be read with a sense of mounting unease. In Ghachar Ghochar, a lower-middle-class family finds itself suddenly wealthy. This means a move to a richer neighbourhood, from a tiny railroad-style house with no living room to a big, two-storied place. But with this, complications arise, and life becomes Ghachar Ghochar – a tangled mess.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Seven Days in June revolves around Eva Mercy, the successful author of a long-running erotica series with a devoted fan base, but as the deadline for the 15th book approaches, she admits she’s run out of ideas. She can’t afford to give up the series, as it keeps her and her 12-year-old daughter, Audre, financially afloat. A chance meet with Shane Hall, reminds her of the passionate connection she shared with him as high school seniors. With chapters from the past interspersed throughout the novel, Williams juxtaposes Shane and Eva as reined-in adults with their terrifyingly out-of-control teen selves. Their reunion feels like coming home but also reveals that they might not have the skills to sustain a successful adult relationship.

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

The story surrounds a lonely un-named woman in Italy, where Lahiri herself lived for several years. The novel is represented in a series of brief moments, with titles such as “On the Sidewalk,” “At the Cash Register” and, the most accurately labeled, “In My Head.” Most of these chapters describe some minor experience in the city. In place of a traditional plot, we’re given vignettes of quiet despair, or anecdotes of minor irritation all distilled into a syrup of poisonous self-absorption. Lahiri wrote Whereabouts in Italian and then translated it into English, which contributes to its sheen of deliberateness and distance.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

In our experience, Japanese fiction tends to be quite serious and didactic with quirky or abstract undertones (think Murakami). However, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s poignant debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold uses the familiar techniques of magical realism to introduce interesting characters and hearts into the literary trope of time travel. Although the foundation of the book is based on a script written by Kawaguchi, it doesn’t detract from the gentle and reflective story-telling of the book — asking the reader to consider the fundamental question: what would you change if you could go back in time? The fascinating central concept is not so much about time travel, but an examination into how humans handle the loss, physically and psychologically, of a loved one. Although a book that can be finished in one sitting, it’s sure to leave a lasting impression.

The Japanese Wife by Kunal Basu

In a world governed by social networking sites, where people visualise each other’s profiles before falling in love, the story of The Japanese Wife may sound absurd to the present generation. Written by Kunal Basu and already a motion picture, directed by Aparna Sen, The Japanese Wife, is a beautiful epitaph on love. Through the book we follow Snehamoy Chakrabarti, a teacher in Shonai, and Miyage, a Japanese woman, who fall in love with each other through pen friendship. Twists and turns further take over, but we still can’t overrule the platonic relationship that prevails throughout the story.