7 Books to Read If You Loved ‘Past Lives’
Stories of deeply connected human beings
“There is a word in Korean. In-Yun. It means “providence” or “fate”… It’s an In-Yun if two strangers even walk by each other in the street and their clothes accidentally brush. Because it means there must have been something between them in their past lives.”
— Past Lives
Celine Song's Past Lives is one of my favourite movies that I watched last year. The film is about two childhood sweethearts reconnecting after twenty years.
Along with being a poignant romantic drama, the movie focuses on the complexities of human relationships, the passage of time, the immigrant experience and the nature of reality that overshadows any human connection.
After watching the movie, I've been looking for books that capture a similar mood. Although it's easy to find movies of the same style, it's not as simple when it comes to books.
Here is a compilation of books that I read over the years that are close to the mood of Past Lives:
1. ‘On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl on One Beautiful April Morning’
On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl on One Beautiful April Morning is a bittersweet short story by Haruki Murakami.
The setting is the wistful yet enchanting city of Tokyo.
It deals with a chance encounter. On one April morning, the protagonist sees ‘the 100% perfect girl’ for him. But he fails to talk to her.
As is the case with all of Murakami's works, this story includes magical elements, but it is grounded in reality. There is also an internal fairy tale that is far removed from reality.
The author hints at the complexities of reality and how it often overpowers fantasy. The protagonist here is a loner who longs for companionship.
Here is a quote 👇 from the book:
“What a wonderful thing it is to find and be found by your 100% perfect other. It’s a miracle, a cosmic miracle.”
2. ‘Intersection/ Duidao’
Intersection is a Chinese novella by Liu Yichang set in 1960s Hong Kong. The narrative uses the motif of intersection extensively, both literally and figuratively.
Here, two parallel stories of a man and a woman converge at an intersection.
The striking aspect of the work is the characters' interior monologues through which the reader knows how deeply they are connected unbeknownst to them.
Here is a quote I loved:
“Losing all rational control, she did something totally inexplicable — she pressed her lips to the mirror and kissed her own image there. This was a new thrill for her. For the first time, she had a lover; that lover was herself.”
3. ‘White Nights’
White Nights is one of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s earlier works. It is written in first person with an unnamed narrator.
White Nights are summer solstice nights in regions of high latitude where nights are never completely dark.
The narrative progresses through four nights and a day in the protagonist's life. He finds a short-lived happiness during those nights.
He lives in Saint Petersberg. He talks to the city and its inanimate objects. He is a dreamer who is always in his thoughts.
He wanders the streets at night yearning for a deep connection with someone. He finally meets that someone in a girl named Nastenka. But his moments with her are short-lived.
Dostoevsky’s protagonist is probably the loneliest man in literature. He is a shy dreamer and loner and you cannot help but feel for him.
The quote below encapsulates the essence of this character:
“May your sky always be clear, may your dear smile always be bright and happy, and may you be for ever blessed for that moment of bliss and happiness which you gave to another lonely and grateful heart. Isn’t such a moment sufficient for the whole of one’s life?”
4. ‘Shoko’s Smile’
Shoko’s Smile by Choi Eun-young is an award-winning South Korean short story collection that will tug at your heartstrings. It is arguably one of the best debuts.
Shoko’s Smile is an intimate and well-rounded collection of stories with introspective female protagonists. It’s a realistic depiction of cross-cultural relationships, generations, the personal and the political.
It discusses human connection beyond borders and boundaries.
The seven stories share similar sentiments on universal love that surpasses differences. The book begins and ends with the perfect stories that align with the collection’s theme.
And, the ending is just brilliant!
There is regret, unconditional longing and pathos.
My favourite is the titular Shoko’s Smile which is about two girls — one Korean and the other Japanese.
The settings in each of these stories will be etched in your hearts.
There is so much detail and clarity in writing. You cannot even miss the translator’s note in this one.
Here is a quote from the collection:
“I think of you as I watch the light reflecting of a glacier. A hundred white nights. Light intoxicates people but also keeps them awake. Here, my eyes are open yet I’m dreaming. It is as if you are standing in front of that glacier.”
5. ‘On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous’
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong will wow you with its narrative structure and the treatment of the complexity of human existence.
It is written as a letter by a Vietnamese-American son to his illiterate mother.
What unravels is a story of irrevocable pain and trauma.
Ocean Vuong’s language is gorgeous. It is original, poetic and lyrical.
Every single sentence in this book has layers of meaning and every single sentence is quotable.
“What were you before you met me?”
“I think I was drowning”
“And what are you now?”
“Water”
6. ‘The God of Small Things’
The Booker Prize-winning The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is set from 1969 to 1993 in a Syrian-Christian family in Ayemenem in the Kottayam district of the South Indian state of Kerala (my native place).
The God of Small Things tells the story of Estha and Rahel, and Ammu and Velutha through the children's perspective.
It’s a profound exploration of human lives and how they are affected by religion, politics and discrimination. It’s about the class system, status quo, human emotions, scapegoats and love that is beyond all these.
7. ‘Devdas’
Devdas by Sarathchandra Chattopadhyay is a classic Bengali novel that talks about tragic love.
It’s about childhood sweethearts Devdas and Paro and a courtesan named Chandramukhi. The narrative progresses through childhood friendship, love, loss and fate.
This novel portrays fragile human nature and how love and loss can become self-destructive.
The Korean ‘In-yun’ is about relationships between people. The above works focus on human connection, where people form deep attachments and lose them due to a disconnect between fate and reality. These books are poignant, melancholic and undoubtedly haunting.
I hope you find your next favourite read from this list.
Stay curious and happy reading!
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© Arya James 2024
