Some time back, I was reading a book. Raakshas by Piyush Jha to be precise. It’s a thriller and is a story of India’s No. 1 serial killer. It’s about how and what made him a cold blooded, savage murderer and a serial killer at that. The story started with a bang and I was hooked to it from the word go. I read more than half of this book at one go and then I suddenly closed it.
No, I was neither bored nor tired. I had all the time in the world to read the book and yet I stopped reading it. The thing was that the book was taking me to new heights of reading pleasure and I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to prolong this excitement and happiness.
And when I did pick it up again after a lot of delaying tactics and finished reading it, I felt as if I was having heartbreak. I was sad that the story could not go on and on and that it had come to an end. It was like I was mourning the end of good book. Has this ever happened to you?
Have you realized that reading is like entering into a relationship with a book? And it’s similar to the relationships we have with people around us.
Here are the four different types of relationships I have had with books which are similar to human relationships.
1. You Had Me At ‘Hello’
You see the cover of the book and you know that it will click with you. You read the blurb and the flirting begins and as you start reading the first few chapters, meet the characters, you are in midst of a whirlwind romance and with each turning page you fall in love deeply, in the most all-consuming way. I had this love at first sight with The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon, Marley & Me by John Grogan….
2. And The Spark Fades
The story in the book starts with a bang. There’s excitement and thrill with turning of each page, each chapter. And when you are moving on to build a deeper connect with the story, something goes awry and it’s all downhill from there. The relationship changes from intense to bland and that magical spark just fizzles away. You feel so deflated and exhausted and a bit cheated too, for you invested your time in reading this book and it leaves you unfulfilled. I have a long list of books that fall in this category. Off hand I remember Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris…
3. The Accidental Relationship
It was just a coincidence that you picked that book. It’s not the genre that you read or not an author you have read before and it is just by chance you find yourself leafing through this book. And the next thing you know is that you are enjoying reading it and can’t stop yourself from reading it at every available opportunity. I had this relationship with a non-fiction book which is not my favorite genre of books. I picked up F?@k Knows by Shailendra Singh on a whim and I simply loved reading it. My first Keigo Higashino’s book – The Devotion of Suspect X. I picked this book with zero expectations as I had not heard about this author. But after this book, I am a big fan of this Japanese mystery writer.
4. The Slow To Warm-Up
You have this book in your hand and you start reading it. It does not excite or enthrall you much, but you keep reading it. And that’s because you are not a quitter or the book came with high recommendations or you are just stuck with that book. And then suddenly you are sucked deep into it and how! The book becomes simply unputdownable and it stays with you for a long time. This happened when I started reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling. I picked it up because everyone was reading it and felt that the wizards and kids were not my scene. But after the first few chapters, well… there was no looking back.
Like human relationships, the relationships with books are good as well as bad, but whatever it is, it’s a learning and growing experience as a reader! What say you?
With which books you have had these kind of relationships?
21 Responses
Yes, indeed books are very similar to human relationships. When I read The fault in the stars, I cried like a baby. However, when I read Secretly Yours, I felt cheated as though I have wasted time.
Here comes another unique angle of looking at book from your basket. Now when I am reading your post, I realize why I feel sad to read the last chapter or last page of my favorite book. Its like you are departing.
Wow, you have connected books to relations so nicely,
well said we often start living the characters and bond with them too, they certainly have a human connect and relate with us. We smile and cry with the journey of each book.
First I have to say Shilpa, you are such an inspirational reader and I am really amazed to see your love for books..this post was such an interesting read and I loved the way you had described different types of relationship with book. indeed, all description sounds like a human relationship..one of the best post of your series, because of unique topic and amazing narration.
I find your book choices interesting.
Yes, and it feels like you make memories with each book that you read. Especially the ones that make you sit and brood. Some relationships tend to be more meaningful and deeper than the others. Nice way of looking at reading experiences. 🙂
I immensely liked this post – I have never seen it this way – Reading books is similar to human relationships! Ah! Some books are lying in the shelf with their tags intact – I wonder what kind of humans they would refer to.
Thanks for this thought today, dear Shilpa. Reading would seem quite different from now on and people too.
If we have to equate relationships to books then I can proudly say, I have many Exs 😉
Three noteworthy relationships I had were with Da Vinci Code, The Kite Runner and Wonder.
I could totally identify with these! I have faced them all with different books!
Accidental relationship’s have been more for me. A lot of books – I have picked up on recommendation and they turn out to be real awesome.
Sometimes a single book may take you closer to a dozen human beings compared to a whole single life.
I loved the analogy Shilpa, this is quite a different post from your normal league which I have been reading for years buddy. I could actually relate so much.
This is a really interesting observation. Come to think fit, there are many books that have made me feel the same way too. And there are too many times that I wish fictional characters were real and having to turn that last turn can make you feel so sad. I almost feel as if I have landed back in Earth from a parallel universe!
Such a beautifully written post!
I remember the day I finished reading all the 7 Harry Potter books in a go. The next few days was like going through a painful heartbreak. I missed reading Harry Potter so much that I couldn’t move on to a new book.
Another winner, Shilpa. I love the variety in your posts. I could completely identify with this one.
I am itching to add my list of books to this list. There have been books from lesser and debut authors that clicked with me, whereas many classics could not keep my attention for long. It is indeed like human relationship. Such a beautiful post.
Great descriptions of the many ways we can have relationships with books. I loved Marley & Me too. I had a yellow lab at the time so like everyone who read it I felt like he was speaking specifically to my experience. Weekends In Maine
I agree with you shilpa that books are similar to Human Relationships, in many ways it is true, I always enjoyed the company of the books as I used to feel that the author is talking to me,plenty of Novels, Self help books have done his to me.. I would read and will continue till late night, have the book near my pillow and would feel that I am connected to this author and wait to meet … finish my work quickly so that i can pick up the book and continue.. a lot of novels by Barbara Cartland and Dennis Robbins in my college days, and later on my taste for books changed and I started liking books like Road less Traveled by Dr Scot peck, People of the Lie by the same author and series of books by Osho on sayings of Jesus, Since i felt so connected never would i feel lonely.
Actually never thought of books from this perspective. I can relate more with the accidental relationship when I picked up Soul Mountain by Gao Xinjiang last year. You have thought through this series so brilliantly!
Forging relations with books is so fulfilling!
Rakshas sounds interesting. Must read it 🙂
– Anita
Good to know about the Harry Potter series. I’ve put if off for long enough I guess?