Some books are a closed chapter
Brunch|September 21, 2024
Bestselling authors don't always churn out page-turners. And life's too short to endure books that are average at best
SEEMA GOSWAMI
Some books are a closed chapter

When it comes to reading, I am very much a creature of habit. I have my favourite authors who I go back to time and again and whose new releases I look forward to with keen anticipation.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I read that one of my favourite writers was coming out with a new book. David Nicholls (of One Day fame) was releasing a new novel, You Are Here, which had been universally well-reviewed by the critics. I faithfully downloaded it as soon as it became available on Kindle and in a state of heightened anticipation sat down to read it.

But only 15 minutes into that exercise I realised that a strange feeling was creeping over me. Could it possibly be boredom? Surely not! This was one of my favourite authors writing a book in one of my favourite genres (romance, for want of a better term). And yet I was finding it hard proceeding beyond the first few chapters. How was this possible?

This story is from the September 21, 2024 edition of Brunch.

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This story is from the September 21, 2024 edition of Brunch.

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