Sometimes books are a very useful cure for changing ideas, to travel without moving, to discover a whole universe. I made a list of five books that particularly touched me, so take note and let me know if you liked them too!
1- All This Time by Mikki Daughtry & Rachael Lippincott
This book has been written by the same authors of the book and movie Five Feet Apart, which, if you have seen it, explains why it will also make you cry. It is about grieving love, grieving someone and trying to rebuild your life after losing everything. Kyle and Marley are two souls that suffer a loss and they both go through different feelings which is really interesting and touching. They meet and discover a real connection, despite the conflicting emotions they feel. It is a well written book and the reader falls slowly under the spell of these two outstanding characters that rise again at some point.
2- The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
It is easy to say that this book is a classic. First, John Green is an expert in writing emotional romance novels, and it is an international best seller. It’s a book about life, death and people who find themselves stuck between the two. We laugh, we cry and we ask for it because it is so touching and incredible as a story. Moreover, it is inspired by a true story which (personally) makes it even more amazing. In short, it is the story of love between a girl who has cancer and a boy who had cancer. Their love goes beyond expectations and we fall as much in love as they are, with them.
3- Small Country by Gaël Faye
This book was originally a French book titled Petit Pays, but you can easily find it in English on the internet. This is the story of a little boy who tells the memories of his childhood. He started by telling good memories, all the fun he had with his group of friends, in “his small country”, which is Burundi, a country in Africa. Only, he also awakens the painful memories buried in him, who tells the terrible war in his so beautiful country that divides the people and his family. Childhood becomes a complex memory and the story is beautiful.
4- If I Stay by Gayle Forman
This book was so great that it was made into a movie. This is the story of Mia, a teenager who loves music. Without expecting it, she and her family undergo a serious car accident and she must decide whether life is worth living if her family might not be there with her; would you fight or give up? The book really helps to illuminate some simple things in life. Everything can be different tomorrow, everything can stop. So we have to live fully and tell people we love them. The emotions by which the main character passes are both comprehensible and complex. They touch us because we put oneself in its place. Read it.
5- Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé
Wow, I was surprised by this book, I didn’t expect such mixed emotions. It is the story of Captain Salvatore Piracci, a captain that has sailed along the Italian coast for the last twenty years, intercepting boats with clandestine African immigrants who have risked everything in the hope of reaching the ‘new Eldorado’. But when Piracci is confronted by a woman haunted by the death of her son killed during an illegal crossing, he is forced to question the validity of his border-patrolling mission. In parallel, we discover two brothers preparing to leave Sudan and make the dangerous passage to Europe. Separated mid-voyage, Suleiman, the youngest, vows to make it to the promised land and find the means to reunite with his ailing elder brother. This book is a masterpiece, just for the clear way we understand the two totally different stories, crossing at a certain moment. There are two opposing points of view, which highlight the severity of the situation and which create a debate. We better understand the point of the migrant’s view, and we also understand the one of the European, who gradually discovers a world devastated by fear and conflict. The end is really interesting and touching. Just read it.
I hope you love these books as much as I did. Enjoy!