I was recently reading 'The Rainbow Fish' by Marcus Pfister with my son. The book starts with:
"A long way out in the deep blue sea there lived a fish. Not just an ordinary fish, but the most beautiful fish in the entire ocean. His scales were every shade of blue and green and purple, with sparkling silver scales among them."
'And red scales!" my son added, looking at the beautiful illustration, and right he was. 'But how can a fish have so many colours?' he went on to ask. He was looking at me quizzically, with those eyes only a 5 year old can have, expecting you to have all the answers of the universe. 'If we read on, we'll find out,' I said. And there it was. The enticement of words, a situation carved out leading to a desire for more from the opening of a book. My son had felt it like so many of us do when we open a book and start reading.
I began to wonder about other people's favourite opening lines from books. What appeals to them, what entices them in, makes them laugh or emote or feel attachment? What makes them want to read on? So, I asked some of my closest friends and family to share their favourites with me. And here they are, along with a little about each of these special people and fellow book lovers in my life...
1. Guru
My husband! A fellow-book lover who can read so quickly and with so much attention, it makes my eyes hurt just thinking about it. We met in Thailand, training martial arts. I boxed his contact lens out and we fell in love. As you do. Strangely enough it does feature among my favourite memories of us. Top of the list however, is his face when our son was born, followed by his face when I appeared to walk down the aisle towards him on our wedding day and finally, his face every morning when he sees me (make of that what you will!).
Guru's chosen the opening line of 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo:
"Amerigo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court Number 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonor her."
Quite simply, he said, because they are iconic lines. Between you and I, Guru will also tell you his favourite film is 'The Godfather' but really, it's 'You've got mail'! :)
2. Sally
Sally and I met at university, where we lived adjacent to each other in all our three years there. She's a fountain of knowledge, of wisdom and is one of the most inspirational people I know. She is committed and loyal and goes out to get what she wants and is hugely successful at whatever she puts her mind to. She inspires me to be a better version of myself every day. She's chosen:
"Q: Why is London like Budapest? A: Because it is two cities divided by a river. Good morning! Let me introduce myself. My name is Dora Chance. Welcome to the wrong side of the tracks." It's from 'Wise Children' by Angela Carter.
She likes the way it sets up the tone and characterisation so well- the humour and the honesty of the characters.
3. Paul
I lived a few doors down from Paul in our university halls of residence and we've been firm friends since. As students, quite often we'd be putting the world to rights at all hours of the night! My favourite memory is of a bike ride we took together over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to Sausalito where we had lunch in a lovely pub and an ice cream overlooking the bay! Paul has chosen:
"I am the vampire Lestat. I am immortal. More or less. The light of the sun, the sustained heat of an intense fire -- these things might destroy me. But then again, they might not." It is from 'The Vampire Lestat' by Anne Rice.
He used to think vampire stories were silly but was convinced to read this book by his roommate in his first year at university. Since then he's gone on to read all the books in the series...some 13 or so! And, he adds, Anne Rice is still churning them out!
4. Sayantani
Sayantani was one of the first friends I made in India and has always made me laugh endlessly with her hilarious take on everything! Sayantani and I set up a book club together a few years back. I was reading one of our book-club selections ('Love in the Time of Cholera') when my waters broke and my son decided it was time to make his arrival into the world! Her selection is:
“For the sisters & the sistas & the sistahs & the sistren & the women & the womxn & the wimmin & the womyn & our brethren & our bredrin & our brothers & our bruvs & our men & our mandem & the LGBTQI+ members of the human family”.
It's from the foreword of 'Girl, Woman, Other' by Bernadine Evaristo. They say workplace friendships never happen but mine and Shay's did...for the love of...books!
5. Madhavi
Madhavi was my ray of wonderful sunlight when I first moved to India and she still is! Madhavi and I talk, and talk, and talk, and talk....and talk. There's nothing I can't tell her. Although we don't live in the same city anymore, I love visiting her in her family home in Bombay, whether she's there or not! I'm very blessed that I've been welcomed as a third daughter into her family. I always look forward to visiting and consuming all the amazing food and chai on offer! Madhavi has chosen:
"Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question." It's from 'The Only Story' by Julian Barnes.
It's a story of unconventional love which Madhavi says seems appropriate in these unconventional times of the pandemic.
6. Jenny
I've known Jenny since I was about 11 years old. We went to school together and she remains one of my closest friends who has traveled life with me. One of my favourite memories with Jenny is going to music festivals together, especially in our late teens and early twenties. That shared sense of freedom, lack of responsibility and over-whelming joy of live music always stays with me!
Jenny chose: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." The opening line of 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier.
Jenny loves Daphne Du Maurier books. She feels they have so much mystery and suspense and also many interesting female characters. Rebecca has this famous line at the beginning of the book so it was an easy choice, she says. It always makes her want to read it again when she hears it.
7. Vivek
Though he fondly refers to me as 'boss', I haven't been his for several years now. We do still work together, however. Vivek and I have spent endless hours together pouring over data, determining insights into urban governance and at the same time philosophically considering many aspects of life and the universe! He was part of the first book club I started when I arrived in Bangalore. Vivek chose:
"In the beginning, nearly fourteen billion years ago, all the space and all the matter and all the energy of the known universe was contained in a volume less than one-trillionth the size of the period that ends this sentence." From 'Astrophysics for People in a Hurry' by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
He says he loves it because it awakens the curious child in him in a brilliant way - knowing that all the things we observe today, find interesting, try to explain and understand...all of it, started that small. How it went from that to all of this, just reminds him and excites him about all there is to learn out there. The author makes Vivek want to quit his job (please don't, I'll miss you!) and go into science!
8. My Mum
How can I ever describe my mum? She and my Dad are the reason I am everything I am today. No words would ever do that justice! They both instilled a love of reading in me from a young age. From my mum, the following beautiful opening lines from 'Brideshead Revisited' by Evelyn Waugh:
"I have been here before', I said; I had been there before; first with Sebastian more than twenty years ago on a cloudless day in June, when the ditches were creamy with meadowsweet and the air heavy with all the scents of summer; it was a day of peculiar splendour, and though I had been there so often, in so many moods, it was to that first visit that my heart returned on this, my latest."
My mum explains that she loves this opening because the book leads you into a different world and tells how in the end this world is lost to the narrator and all those that play a part in the story.
9. Rowena
Rowena and I both lived alone and were neighbours and colleagues when we grew close. We spent many evenings at each other's houses, eating together, talking and me, hiding away from her cat! A few years ago she came to visit me in India and we took an amazing, though epic, trip to Hampi for a few days. I don't think either of us will forget that in a hurry! Rowena has chosen what I think is one of my favourites and most intriguing from among this series of opening lines:
"She lived in the graveyard like a tree." It is from 'The Ministry of Utmost Happiness' by Arundhati Roy.
Rowena says it's a wonderful story, a fascinating, troubling and extraordinary world and has fabulous use of language.
10. Nick
Nick is my energetic, football-loving, ridiculously intelligent, always-there-for-me, older brother. The person I grew up looking up to, wanting to emulate but would never give the TV remote control to in a million years (even now)! I'm sure my love of rock music is because of the endless tunes coming from his bedroom, both from his stereo tower and his own guitar. He's chosen the non-fiction book, 'Fingerprints of the Gods: The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization' by Graham Hancock. I starts as follows:
In a memo to Professor Charles H. Hapgood, in 1960, it is written, "Your request for evaluation of certain unusual features of the Piri Reis World Map of 1513 by this organisation has been reviewed. The claim that the lower part of the map portrays the Princess Martha Coast of Queen Maud Land Antarctica, and the Palmer Peninsula, is reasonable. We find this is the most logical and in all probability the correct interpretation of the map."
My brother is drawn to this book because it tells you something that no one knew before - that the Antarctica coastline (land, not ice) was perfectly mapped on a chart from 1513, when it was covered in ice and not even discovered yet. You need to read on, he says!
11. Tanima
My friend and colleague, Tanima is a beacon of joy and smiles to me with an amazing flair for interior design. She writes like a dream and feeds me amazing food whenever I see her. I love sharing book recommendations with Tanima. In a more recent attempt to start another book club, she and I were the only ones present for our first meeting, discussing 'The Passengers' by John Marrs over a delicious sushi. A wonderful evening! Tanima chose:
"Far out in the unchartered backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun." From 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams.
She loves how the statement pulls you in and at the same time puts your insignificance front and centre. It also got her hooked on everything and anything by Douglas Adams.
12. Parimala
My mother-in-law! Who is much more like a friend than a mother-in-law. She's a real inspiration, starting her own successful nutrition business in the last few years and always studying and learning more. We've enjoyed many moments together, including special family holidays with long walks along the beach. Parimala has chosen one of my favourite books, 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. She particularly loves the line:
"It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."
She says we can read thousands of books in our lifetime but has found that words that resonate with her life and living is something that leaves a lasting impression on her soul. One such line is the one above from the Alchemist which she always keeps going back to and which has always helped her move ahead in life.
13. Sony
There are not enough words in the universe to describe Sony. Loving, tenacious, passionate, funny, wild, honest, discerning, loyal, I could go on. I'm not surprised she came back with two sets of lines, at opposite ends of the spectrum and leaving it to me to decide which might be 'more suitable'. Sony is a web of everything wonderful, with something for every situation, emotion and occasion as well as a fellow martial artist with an amazing fashion sense. Choice one is from the poem, 'To a Skylark' by P.B. Shelley:
"We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought."
Sony says these were a learning to her not to overthink and to live in the moment. Her second choice is from 'Gone with the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell. In answer to Scarlett O'Hara, Rhett Butler says, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn". Sony loves this for its sheer cheek and has indeed said it to people a couple of times!
14. Carol
Carol is my sister-in-law. She's an incredibly successful business woman, the founder of her own business. She makes looking fashionable seem easy. She is incredibly creative and a great cook and has made an honest man out of my brother! Living on opposite ends of the world, we don't see each other often but I look forward to our discussions on our recent reads and books that have made an impact on us and what we should be reading next! She's chosen this from 'Sisters' by Daisy Johnson:
'My sister is a black hole. My sister is a tornado. My sister is the end of the line my sister is the locked door my sister is a shot in the dark. My sister is waiting for me. My sister is a falling tree. My sister is a bricked-up window. My sister is a wishbone my sister is the night train my sister is the last packet of crisps my sister is a long lie-in. My sister is a forest on fire. My sister is a sinking ship. My sister is the last house on the street.'
She finds it haunting and intriguing and very fitting for the rest of the book.
15. My Dad
And last, but by no means least, my wonderful Dad. Together with my mum, I owe them everything. From my Dad, the following from 'Music As The Bridge: Based on The Edgar Cayce Readings' by Shirley Rabb Winston:
"Do attempt to bring greater harmonies into the experience through the practice and through the application of the individual making music. Even though it maybe only on a comb on glasses or on bells, on a harp, violin or a piano ...MAKE MUSIC!"
My Dad likes it because the book outlines and describes how and why there is more to music than just meets the ear.
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