5 Books That Made Lockdown Easy For Me

On a normal day of March, 2020 I got a call from my father, living in another city, urging me to come home. He was uneasy about me being alone during the lockdown, that was initially for a day, then a fortnight and then months passed with no sign of any respite. I knew I had to pack my books for the upcoming examinations, but I also knew how difficult staying in a house with three other people would be: I would need an escape. I looked through my bookshelf and found a couple of unread books which I never had the time to pickup amidst books of History, Geography, Science and Current Affairs manuals.

So I picked up those books and left for home to be with my parents, in a lockdown that made me stay home for 7 months. Here I’m making an attempt to bring to your notice some of the most exuberant pieces of literature that also happened to make lockdown bearable for me.

The Handmaid’s Tale: Margaret Atwood

The novel is set in a patriarchal World where the sole purpose of women is reproduction and caregiving to their male counterpart. Atwood locates the novel in the World of Gilead where Aunts, Handmaids and Wives, all have responsibilities in different capacities to serve men. Suppression for women is projected as a reward of highest order because that is misread to be the duty of women. The novel is an excellent commentary on the relationship women forge with each other and how society forces them to compromise on their allies for survival. In the dark world of the Gilead, a handmaid finds freedom in breaking the norm and the novel explores whether she is punished for the same or manages to escape. There is also a show by the same name, currently running in the fourth season and directed by Bruce Miller.

The Silent Patient: Alex Michaelides

Reading this novel is a bone chilling experience while delving in a deep study of psycho-therapy. A murder, a patient slowly succumbing to her own brain and a therapist taking on every possible threat to his life to study the psyche of his patient. This psychological thriller analyses the story of a murderer, a wife, a woman and a victim. The story is captivating and gets the reader hooked onto it with a massive twist. The last chapter makes the reader re-read the entire novel in their brain and re-evaluate their perceptions.

Burial At Sea: Khushwant Singh

In this novel, Singh has captured the essence of patriotism which is felt by post-colonial societies even in the 21st century. The story is set in pre-Independent India and carries forward till after Independence till the time when India struggled to be a gigantic Manufacturing power. The protagonist is shown to share a deep bond with Mahatma Gandhi despite the difference in opinions that they share for India’s future. The essence of the novel is captured in a sentence which makes us ponder on it for a very long time:

“He would go back and continue his efforts for India’s prosperity, whether India deserved it or not.”

This line makes us question our own notions of loving our Nation, whether we would continue to work for our Nation even when things happen differently than how we had anticipated?

Madame Bovary: Gustave Flaubert

A Classic novel, set in the France of mid-1800s, this is an exemplary work in Literature with a critical acclaim from all ages. The novel explores the lifestyle of the French bourgeoisie and how they aim to acquire wealth and their want for material things beyond their capacities and means. It comments on the vagaries of the middle class and the happiness that material objects brings to them and more often than not bring unsurmountable problems. It is a story of a woman, who finds herself changing with the men in her life and accommodating herself the way they want to see him. The novel progresses into how she gains power in a thing that is frowned upon by society but that is something which makes her be in control of her own life.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: Maya Angelou

‘I Know why the Caged Bird Sings’ is the first memoir of Angelou’s seven autobiographical works, exploring the memories and struggles of her childhood. The 20th century America was troubled by rampant cases of racism and inhumanity against the Black community. It is when Angelou grew up in a town segregated to an extent that for a very long time she thought that White people didn’t exist. It is a story of her past which continues to form the personality of one of World’s greatest poets. The pages cover an immense trauma caused by a child’s race and sex, making her vulnerable. It amazes us to read and follow the journey of a woman with such a stature and think to ourselves what a troubled childhood she had and yet she rose above the things and people that pulled her down.