#63// doing nothing, looking for home
daily life and the pleasure of rot
Dear Reader,
I have been feeling deeply dissatisfied with many books I have read recently. Which makes it difficult to write a letter to you because much of this newsletter revolves around books and related stuff. I wondered about my phone usage, the always failing resolution to reduce screen time. I half blamed my attention spans for not being able to enjoy books. But gladly, I was wrong. A good book will always capture your attention, no matter what.
Read:
I am talking about The Anthropologists by Ayșegül Savaş, told in 192 pages. This story follows a young couple, Asya and Manu, as they try to build a life in an unnamed city. Asya is a documentary filmmaker who interviews people in a park, and Manu works in non-profit. They hang out with their small group of friends and talk on phone with their family back home. They painfully understand that they are different from the version of themselves that left their homeland.
Fun fact: I started writing about this book for the newsletter and it became too long. So I published it as a full length review on The Book Satchel. I am teary eyed because that’s a review penned by me after such a long time! I will link it at the end.
The novel explores those leisurely days of youth when you look like an adult but you have no idea what to do (I still don’t). It beautifully captures the slowness of life, the uneventful days, the rot of the day, that feeling of being unheard. They are unsure what their role in the grand scheme of things is, sometimes they wait for something big, grand, ‘momentous’ to make them understand life. In my review I wrote “Perhaps this is the millenial’s answer to the domestic slow novels like The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield or Excellent Women by Barbara Pym.”
I shared thoughts about the book on socials and received alternating points of view. Some loved it, some didn’t. Some found they couldn’t connect with the character (—For me it was never about the character. In fact as I typed this, I couldn’t remember her name, though I could remember the names of all the other characters. It was the experiences they went through—told in a few sentences, half a page, nothing too deep—that made the book closer to my heart). Some disliked the style of narration (—Fair point. Vignettes that read like Instagram snapshots; a day at the park, finding an apartment, video calling people back home, a movie outing—told in an unhurried, non-dramatic prose). As for me, I found myself staring at the wall lost in thoughts far too many times, while reading this book. It had a profound impact on me.
If you’ve called different countries your home, this is a must-read. If you haven’t and you don’t mind snippets of uneventful days, pick it up. The novel kept taking me back to old memories, nostalgic days, friends gone by, days that might never come again. I loved it! “Where do I feel most like myself? I don't know how to answer that question. I guess I'm still looking,” writes Savaş.
Read the longer review on The Book Satchel. Let me convince you more.
Watch:
I have been watching Murderbot on Apple TV and loving it. It is a futuristic world where a robot has hacked into its programming and thus doesn’t need to follow orders from humans (but pretends to). It is entertaining because this robot is a cutie and downloads and watches dramas during his spare time (he deleted important documents to make space for the downloads lol. Priorities! I almost forgot there are murders too).
Among Malayalam movies, Thudarum about an ordinary man’s revenge (also about honor killing) was spectacular. I loved the fun Padakkalam (think body switch in a Jumanji like game scenario set in a Kerala college), but warning—I am not sure how much of the humor would be conveyed through subtitles, if you do not know Malayalam. For a heart warming (maybe a tad too heartwarming because the hero has no flaws) watch, the Tamil movie Tourist Family—about a Sri Lankan family who comes to India to build a new life—made me laugh and weep in bursts. It is more about the neighborhood than the sensitive issue of illegal immigration.
Eat:
I haven’t eaten anything nice in a long time. Takeaways have been heavily disappointing. Tried out a few small businesses which didn’t capture the heart either. But what I have been loving are fresh figs. I had intentions of making ricotta toast with figs drizzled with honey. And a porridge topped with fresh figs. I can never make them last long enough to cook with. I impatiently cut them into unequal chunks and eat them. Figs and mangoes for summer 2025. What are you snacking on?
Amazing Links
This made me think about unsolicited advice and discomfort and also the other side of it
I bookmarked this essay to send to a friend, forgot about it, and now when I found it on my Notes, my phone is in the other room (yeey, tips to reduce screen time). Hopefully I remember to send it by the end of the day. Absolutely loved these reflections on cities, about the personality of cities. I read it twice already and found myself nodding along.
Hope you are doing good, dear friend. Write to me if you have been thinking about cities and the idea of home. PS: Some kind readers had emailed me and my replies are pending. Please bear with me. I’ve read your lovely letters, thank you.
Until next time,
Resh x
Loved reading this. Checking the anthropologists right away. Thanks for the recommendation.