It’s never too late to start over...
This is a season of new beginnings across the world. For
many, it is spring, that amazing season when the grim landscape of winter is
wiped away with a new wash of colour and light. For many in India, the month of
April marks the beginning of a new year (different for different states) and they
bring it in with pomp and style, full of hope that it is going to be a wonderful year right through.
Strangely, this trend is reflecting in the books that are
out this year too. There are countless books out there on re-invention, about making
a new start, about life makeovers and everything that goes into launching into
the new and the unknown. I love this wave of new writing, because each
one is fascinating, both in thought and content.
Ever since Bridget Jones launched her diary of daily slip
ups and vowed to become a better Bridget, there has been a veritable storm of
similar stories in the market place. I have read many books where the
protagonist works at chipping away at her flaws and making herself better, but
many miss the point of doing so, which is to enrich life as it is now. Not to
throw away the old but to bring in a newer, enriched you.
To emphasize my point, I quote this line which I found on re-invention
by a behavioural expert called Jonathan who has pinned up a lot of interesting
stuff on his web pages.
“Every time we add a new dimension to our lives
we gain knowledge, insight, and experience. Over the course of a lifetime that
becomes a deep well to draw from. There is a richness of wisdom that can only
come through experience...”
Ready to take the plunge into the rocky path of the unknown?
Here’s a book on a woman who did just that and as we mull on the subject of
re-invention, read my book review of the week to see if “something new is
exactly what you need”....
Something New
By Janis Thomas
Even if a novel that is about a middle aged woman with a
charmed life who decides to reinvent herself does not appeal to you, this is
one book you must pick up for the sheer ease and beauty of the writing. There is
no self conscious prose here, no self indulgent rambling about her woes in life
or a tiring exposition of getting old and therefore heading to the nearest Botox doctor.
There is instead an upbeat note at the heart of novel. The
story is about Ellen Ivers who has it all (loving husband, nice kids, pretty
home, good friends) but is utterly bored with life. While other women might
settle into the predictable and often dull world of the suburban home maker,
Ellen refuses to do so. And one day, she decides to take it on herself to make
many changes and voila, there she is... on the cusp of reinvention.
As she begins to exercise, and take care of her skin, Ellen
begins to feel good about herself again, so much so, that she also decides to
enter a blogging competition and begin writing as she used to. The book is
therefore interspersed with blog posts that are as snappy and fun as the
protagonist herself.
Here is a sample of one of her blogs:
“I used to do
cartwheels, albeit bad ones, on my front lawn, right in front of my postman. I
used to jog to the beach and jump into the ocean in the middle of winter, the
cold water stinging every inch of my body, just to feel the wonder of being
alive on the planet. I don’t do any of those things anymore...And today, for
the first time in a long time, I actually recognized that fact and asked myself
why...”
So Ellen begins to write and gains more confidence every
day. Paradise, at last? Of course not! Because in every earthly paradise there
is a serpent and here it is -- the handsome (and married) guy next door, Ben
Campell. So while Ellen is busy trying to reinvent and build herself
up, another side of her life begins to unravel. Yes, she wants change, but does
she want so much change? Does she want a new life altogether?
A must read book, for the smart writing and the dilemma that
builds to a crescendo by the end of the book. What will Ellen do finally? (I
must warn you – the end is a bit silly and hard to believe!) But read the book
to find out what really happens and here’s assuring you that you will enjoy the
journey!
Thought to leave with
you –
“Change will not come if we wait for some
other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are
the change that we seek.”
Barack Obama
