Sowmiya Ashok on her Ten Favourite Books

Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip by Peter Hessler, Canongate Books

After living in China for years and learning the language, Hessler decides to get himself a Chinese driver’s licence. What follows is a brilliant travelogue which is deeply instructive on the human side of the economic revolution in China. I’ve loved everything Hessler has written from China, but this is my favourite for its delightful observational writing. I felt I was in the passenger seat of his rental car as he drove across the country.

Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape by Raja Shehadeh, Profile Books

Shehadeh offers a poignant account of the transformation of the Palestinian landscapes around his home in the West Bank. It’s a countryside he has known since his childhood, and one he has watched being destroyed by the expansion of Israeli settlements. The book also explores the Arabic concept of sarha, a practice of leisurely, aimless wandering in nature to free the mind and soul and reflects on how such freedoms are impossible under occupation. I was shaken by how well he describes the destruction of his ‘home’ in all its forms.

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh, HarperCollins

Set in the Sunderbans, this novel was the first to bring the mangrove forests vividly to life for me. With its enthralling characters, Piyali, Fokir and Kanai, I found it an utterly absorbing read which stayed with me for years. I first encountered the book when I was 19, and was captivated by Piyali’s independence as she sets out in search of the rare Irrawaddy dolphins.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, Vintage

Published in 1994, when I was still a child and far from imaging a life as a writer, this book has become a steady companion as an adult. Lamott has held my hand on lonely writing days with her lively, big-hearted and very fun homespun advice. The book has so much to offer about life and self-discovery as much as it is does about the craft. I have laughed out loud through many readings and re-readings.

Chowringhee by Sankar, translated by Arunava Sinha, Penguin India

Set in the mid-1950s Calcutta, the story is narrated by Shankar, a young man who finds works at the fictional Shahjahan Hotel after the sudden death of his previous employer. I was drawn in by his keen observations as a newcomer, taking in the rich array of characters who pass through the hotel. The novel offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of both guests and staff, at times feeling almost like it is not fiction at all.

It was Five Past Midnight in Bhopal by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Morro, Full Circle Books

An incredible and difficult read of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. This book serves as a documentation of the many lives affected by the disaster. It weaves together the stories of several characters, such as a young Odiya girl, a Scottish missionary, and the Railway station warden, to illuminate the human cost of the disaster. It was an early lesson for me in the power of good non-fiction: the diversity of voices to build a fuller, more truthful picture.

Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy, translated by C. Karthik Narayanan, Pustaka Digital Media, Available on Kindle

This Tamil historical fiction vividly narrates the early life of Arulmozhivarman, who would later ascend the throne as the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I, set against the backdrop of 10^th Century peninsular India. I first encountered the story through my grandmother, who read it in Tamil when it was serialised in the Kalki magazine. It is a work that brings to life political intrigue, evocative landscapes and the personal ambitions of the rulers told with great flair.

Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry, Faber

Set against the backdrop of the 1971 India–Pakistan war, the novel follows Gustad Noble as he grapples with mounting family pressures while being drawn into a dangerous government money-laundering scheme by a friend. It stands as one of the finest portrayals of the Parsi community in contemporary literature. Through Mistry’s writing, I came to know the Parsis long before I ever met one in person. The ‘Mistry corner’ on my bookshelf remains among my most treasured collections.

If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai by Srinath Perur, Penguin

This book wholeheartedly feeds my love for travel writing, as Perur joins a series of group tours and keenly observes the dynamics among fellow travellers. His observational writing is superb, and the book itself is witty, hilarious, and laced with irony. Apart from his temple tour trip around Tamil Nadu, my favourite would be his visit to Uzbekistan with Indian sex tourists. It has been my go-to pick-me-up read for years.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Arrow

One of the book’s central lessons is when Atticus Finch tells his children that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” I first read this book in high school, and it became one of my earliest lessons in empathy, one that continues to shape my work as a journalist.

For more recommendations like these, click here