As I sat down to write this article, I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to whatever thought the word ‘summer’ evoked. And immediately, I thought of vast open space. Freedom was the first word that my mind associated with summer. And freedom it gave!
When one was little, summer vacations seemed to last a lifetime. Despite the truckload of holiday homework, that month-and-a-half seemed to stretch for an eternity and the end of holidays felt a zillion years away. My maternal grandmother lived in a small town with its green fields and shady mango trees; a welcome change from the concrete buildings of dust-laden NCR. No set rules for the day, one could just lounge around and, of course, TV time was unlimited.
Yes, summer was freedom. A time in life when life could be anything you wanted, opportunities were ample, and the future was a blank page. And perhaps that is the reason why summer books are so popular among the reading population. It is the transient nature of the season that makes it so special and unforgettable. And, hence, it is not a surprise that we would want to relive those memories or want to see characters live those years.
And while we might not have had the solitary love experience that these characters did, these stories are still pure escapist fiction and they will make you forget about that upcoming deadline or your mundane corporate job.
And sometimes, an escape is all we need!
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Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman (2007)
André Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name, a coming-of-age novel, is set in the sultry Italian summer in the 1980s. Documenting the love story of Elio, a teenager, and Oliver, an American seven years his senior, the book is a tender meditation on living parallel lives; one that is rooted in reality, and another that’s fantasy, existing just in our heads.
Elio, 17, spends every summer in Italy with his parents. Each year, they invite an American graduate student to stay with them for several weeks and, each year, Elio resents this event. Until the year that Oliver arrives. The older, more confident and charming Oliver is the antithesis to Elio and, over the course of those few weeks of summer, the two men form a bond and fall in love.
Written from Elio’s point of view, Call Me by Your Name is a soft and poignant exploration of summer romances, an acceptance that they burn too bright, and come with expiration dates.
One Day by David Nicholls (2009)
In case you haven’t watched the deeply moving limited series, the premise of One Day goes like this: we follow the lives of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew every year on the 15th of July for two decades. They spend their graduation night together and then go their separate ways. And we revisit them on the same day every year to see what they have been up to; their goals and ambitions, their relationship with each other.
One Day is all about the right timing; the will-they-won’t-they trope and the acknowledgment that relationships require work from both ends. We follow them in their early twenties and late thirties, see them fumble and fall, make mistakes, almost lose each other, and then finally accept the obvious. It is a book that interweaves love and heartbreak, comedy and tragedy.
And, yes, the ending broke me.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (2022)
For six summers after they first met in the sleepy town of Barry’s Bay, Percy and Sam were inseparable, growing up and growing in love. Until a lot of miscommunication and one heart-breaking mistake tears them apart. And since then, Percy has been living in mainland Toronto, punishing herself and holding everyone at a safe distance. But one phone call about Sam’s mother passing calls Percy back to Barry’s Bay and that weekend might change everything.
First love is a whirlwind of a powerful emotion; it’s equal parts fragile and destructive. And we witness it in its full glory in this book. Courtesy flashbacks, we see Percy and Sam start off as being awkward friends and slowly turn into lovers. And it’s a treat to watch.
Every Summer After is a book about the mistakes we make and second chances. And how some bonds are unbreakable, no matter the distance.
Happy Place by Emily Henry (2023)
Harriet and Wyn had been together since college. An ideal couple, they were madly in love and went perfectly well, until one day, they just didn’t. They broke up six months ago and they haven’t told their friends. And that is why, when they find themselves face to face in the cottage that has been their group’s yearly refuge from the world, they have no other choice but to play their part, one last time. But how long before the lines blur between real and fiction? And can we ever truly have a second chance at love?
Happy Place is as much a novel about friendship as it is about love. It’s about those close friends who can feel like an extension of you in college but, as life grows and changes, the differences begin to appear. The book talks in depth of heartache and not just the romantic kind; what happens when you and your best friends no longer walk the same path?
When I started reading the book, I was expecting a rom-com that could help pass my free weekend. But Happy Place is a deep and melancholic meditation on love; how our insecurities become a hindrance to finding real love, and how we hide parts of ourselves because we are too afraid to be worthy of love. The book also talks about our relationship with our parents and how we are who we are, because of them. But it’s not all hard stuff, the setting is wonderful; a sundrenched seaside town, with sand, suntans and cosy cafes. What’s not to love? Happy Place might just be my favourite Emily Henry book till now.
Just for The Summer by Abby Jimenez (2024)
When Justin’s curse (every woman finds her soulmate soon after they break up) goes viral on the internet (thanks to a Reddit thread), he is approached by a woman who claims to have the same problem. And they hatch a plan, date each other, cancel out the curse, and then break up. Only, life happens and love as well!
A fun and quick-read rom-com, this book is hilarious. It has its laugh-out-loud moments, and I loved the banter between characters. But don’t let it deter you from the more serious and emotional aspects of the book; parts that brought tears to my eyes. A book with well-fleshed-out characters who challenge each other, Just for the Summer has quiet moments of realistic romance. The best kind of romance in my opinion!
The author is an Assistant Professor (English) at JC Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA.
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