Eat, Pray, Love

     Author                         Elizabeth Gilbert

     Country                       United States

     Genre                          Non Fiction: Memoir

     Publication  Date        2006

     Pages                           352








This is one of those books which I have been wanting to read for sometime. Infact, I had a copy of this comfortably perched on my bookshelf for the longest time. But, as I tell my husband (who mocks me for purchasing more than I end up reading), there is a time in life for everything and my time to read this book was surely not 3 years ago. The time was now and I am glad to have waited. Who knows; maybe the 'maturer' me has absorbed the book better.

This is the true story of Elizabith's search for meaning in her life. Grappling with a painful divorce and other failed relationships, Elizabeth takes on a year of travel to be with herself and come to terms with her changing life. As the name suggests, she pursues pleasure, spirituality and a balance between the two in Italy, India & Indonesia respectively. Through her excellent narration, she has shared her journey, struggles & victories vividly with her readers. 

This is a self discovery narrative which is real, passionate and enchanting. One striking thought that stays with me is that it is absolutely fine to pursue harmless pleasure (as the Italians are known for doing). Most of us convince ourselves that we are here just to work hard and make a difference and in the bargain foget to pursue pleasure. Or, worst still, we wait for ourselves to deserve a pleasure and then offer it as a treat. Life would be simpler and happier if we were not so harsh and judgmental with ourselves. Infact, as Elizabeth not only shares but successfully displays through her actions, happiness is not a stroke of luck. We must work towards finding happiness and maintaining it. 

I would just suffice by saying that we owe it to ourselves to pursue pleasures and find happiness. Most of us talk of our responsibility towards family, children, work; with abolsutely no mention of ourselves. Lets not forget that only a happy self can bring happiness to others. 

Beloved

     Author                         Toni Morrison

     Country                        United States

     Genre                           Historical Fiction          

     Publication Date         1987

     Pages                            324








This Pulitzer Prize winning book, believed to be one of its kind was picked up by my book club and that's how it ended up with me.

This is the hearth renching story of Sethe who escapes slavery but even after 18 years, is a prisoner to its memories. Through different characters; each with their own history, Toni portrays the long term impact of slavery - how one is never really free from it (even post a physical escape) and how claiming an individual identity or knowing who you really are (after having been 'owned' by others your entire life) is harder than most of us can imagine. 

Through Sethe's character, Toni also represents the extent to which a mother would go to protect her children from what she perceives as 'danger'. Sethe is someone who kills her own infant daughter to save her from slavery. While passing no moral judgement on the action, Toni portrays a mother's struggle in killing her own child and then spending the rest of her life justifying the action to herself and to 'Beloved'; the teenage girl who turns up at her doorstep and is presumably a manifestation of her dead daughter. 

'Beloved' is an excellent piece of literature but surely qualifies as a difficult read. The complexity of constantly changing timelines and narratives make the book demand your full attention. With my inherent desire for simplicity, I found the book slightly overwhelming but guess good literature comes in different forms and I am so glad, I got myself through this. Completely worth the effort. 

My personal take away: Life is a mesh of the past, present and the future and while it may not be possible to completely get over the memories, it's the first step towards a 'free-r' future!