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A review by anusha_reads
Everything the Light Touches by Janice Pariat
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
EVERYTHING THE LIGHT TOUCHES, JANICE PARIAT, LONGLISTED FOR JCB PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 2023
Everything the Light Touches is a fabulous piece of art that I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only does it traverse through history, but it also offers a depth of information and richness in writing. The novel is rife with lush greenery and evokes the smell of wet tree trunks, damp moss, and petrichor, making it feel like a walk through the wilderness. I am so glad to have read it after my friend.
The author experiments with different forms of narratives, adding to the overall appeal. Like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, the novel contains four stories, each pausing and then being narrated in reverse order. The stories feature Shai in the present world, Evelyn in the 20th century, Goethe, the polymath in the late 18th to 19th century, and Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century All characters are on a quest, travelling and trying to unravel the mysteries of nature. They are all nature lovers.
The book makes us reflect on the apathetic attitude of people towards nature, flora, and fauna. I read somewhere that "Globally, we deforest around ten million hectares of forest every year."
“ALL IS LEAF- GOETHE, THE METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS”
The research into the perspectives of Gothe and Linnaeus about the leaf and its relation to a plant was fascinating. While Goethe had a philosophical outlook, Linnaeus, as the father of taxonomy, had a more academic perspective, initiating the modern botanical nomenclature. The arguments and discourses between contrasting ideas, examples, and anecdotes were extremely enjoyable.
QOTD: WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN THE WILDERNESS, AWAY FROM THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE? WHERE IS/(WILL BE) YOUR DREAM HOUSE ?
Evelyn is a character that I admired for being a strong and determined lady of the 20th century. While women of that era were expected to marry, Evelyn pursued her botanical acumen instead.
“TO HOLD KNOWLEDGE IS TO HOLD RESPONSIBILITY, AND TO KNOW TRULY IS TO KNOW DEEPLY, TO GIVE OF YOURSELF SO THAT THE KNOWING MEANS SOMETHING MORE THAN MERE WORDS. TRUE KNOWING CHANGES YOU; WE BELIEVE YOU CANNOT GO BACK TO HOW YOU WERE IN THE WORLD BEFORE.”
Is it about the journey called life? Is it everybody’s quest? Are we still trying to find what we are looking/seeking in life?
It's an easy read, but it's tough to analyse or interpret a book that requires a reread.
A book that is bound to make an indelible impression.
“WELL, I DO WHAT I DO BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO FIND, NOT THE RIGHT ANSWERS, BUT THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. IT IS MUCH HARDER, I THINK BECAUSE WE MUST LOOK BEYOND OUR SO-CALLED AREA OF SPECIALIZATION, AND TRY TO DRAW FROM THE HISTORY OF SIMPLY EVERYTHING THAT MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN FRAMING THE QUESTION. TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION IS TO LOOK BEYOND THE BORDERS OF BOTANY AND PHILOSOPHY AND ART AND MYSTICISM SUDDENLY, THEY ALL MATTER, BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE.”
FACT: Wettest place in the world: MAWSYNRAM, MEGHALAYA has avg. annual rainfall of 11871 mm.
2nd in line: CHERRAPUNJI, MEGHALAYA has avg. annual rainfall of 11777 mm.
“BECAUSE FOR MONTHS ON END HERE WE GET SLAP BAM BRIEW,” THE BOY EXPLAINED. “RAIN SO STRONG AND LONG-LASTING IT DOES NOT STOP UNTIL IT HAS TAKEN LIVES.”
Everything the Light Touches is a fabulous piece of art that I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only does it traverse through history, but it also offers a depth of information and richness in writing. The novel is rife with lush greenery and evokes the smell of wet tree trunks, damp moss, and petrichor, making it feel like a walk through the wilderness. I am so glad to have read it after my friend.
The author experiments with different forms of narratives, adding to the overall appeal. Like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, the novel contains four stories, each pausing and then being narrated in reverse order. The stories feature Shai in the present world, Evelyn in the 20th century, Goethe, the polymath in the late 18th to 19th century, and Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century All characters are on a quest, travelling and trying to unravel the mysteries of nature. They are all nature lovers.
The book makes us reflect on the apathetic attitude of people towards nature, flora, and fauna. I read somewhere that "Globally, we deforest around ten million hectares of forest every year."
“ALL IS LEAF- GOETHE, THE METAMORPHOSIS OF PLANTS”
The research into the perspectives of Gothe and Linnaeus about the leaf and its relation to a plant was fascinating. While Goethe had a philosophical outlook, Linnaeus, as the father of taxonomy, had a more academic perspective, initiating the modern botanical nomenclature. The arguments and discourses between contrasting ideas, examples, and anecdotes were extremely enjoyable.
QOTD: WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN THE WILDERNESS, AWAY FROM THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE? WHERE IS/(WILL BE) YOUR DREAM HOUSE ?
Evelyn is a character that I admired for being a strong and determined lady of the 20th century. While women of that era were expected to marry, Evelyn pursued her botanical acumen instead.
“TO HOLD KNOWLEDGE IS TO HOLD RESPONSIBILITY, AND TO KNOW TRULY IS TO KNOW DEEPLY, TO GIVE OF YOURSELF SO THAT THE KNOWING MEANS SOMETHING MORE THAN MERE WORDS. TRUE KNOWING CHANGES YOU; WE BELIEVE YOU CANNOT GO BACK TO HOW YOU WERE IN THE WORLD BEFORE.”
Is it about the journey called life? Is it everybody’s quest? Are we still trying to find what we are looking/seeking in life?
It's an easy read, but it's tough to analyse or interpret a book that requires a reread.
A book that is bound to make an indelible impression.
“WELL, I DO WHAT I DO BECAUSE I AM TRYING TO FIND, NOT THE RIGHT ANSWERS, BUT THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. IT IS MUCH HARDER, I THINK BECAUSE WE MUST LOOK BEYOND OUR SO-CALLED AREA OF SPECIALIZATION, AND TRY TO DRAW FROM THE HISTORY OF SIMPLY EVERYTHING THAT MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN FRAMING THE QUESTION. TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION IS TO LOOK BEYOND THE BORDERS OF BOTANY AND PHILOSOPHY AND ART AND MYSTICISM SUDDENLY, THEY ALL MATTER, BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE.”
FACT: Wettest place in the world: MAWSYNRAM, MEGHALAYA has avg. annual rainfall of 11871 mm.
2nd in line: CHERRAPUNJI, MEGHALAYA has avg. annual rainfall of 11777 mm.
“BECAUSE FOR MONTHS ON END HERE WE GET SLAP BAM BRIEW,” THE BOY EXPLAINED. “RAIN SO STRONG AND LONG-LASTING IT DOES NOT STOP UNTIL IT HAS TAKEN LIVES.”