A Person Is A Prayer by Ammar Kalia

 

GENRE  Literary fiction

FIRST PUBLISHED May 2024

ARC RECEIVED FROM Oldcastle Books

THEMES Life. Death. Parenthood. Family. Culture. 

READING TIME Approximately 6 hours

PLOT The book begins with an arranged marriage between Bedi and Sushma, who we follow into their future together and learn what has become of the hopes and dreams they had when they first met. The story goes further into the future, following the lives of their children, and their hopes and dreams. Their  thoughts and feelings about themselves and about life, echo those of their parent's and there are apparent ripples and repetitions of family history. 

MY REFLECTIONS Oh this book. It is beautiful and I love it. I urge you to read it. I will do my best to express what an absolute masterpiece of a debut novel this is.

This is a moving novel that conveys how beautiful, fragile and bittersweet life is, and about how our choices and actions influence our own lives and the lives of others. It is a sensitively observant and heartfelt insight into parenthood and family, our connections with others, and how we navigate through life. I could write reams about it, but I don't wish to spoil it for those who haven't read it, so I will try to be succinct (not my strong point, however).

There is one line in particular that holds within it the core essence of the book for me, spoken by Sushma's father to Bedi, her then future husband - "But life happens ... It is just a question of whether you want to be here for it, or if you want to simply go through the motions". This is something that each of the characters seem to be battling with, and something that resonated with me deeply from start to finish, and which brought tears, quite a few times. 

This book ticks all of my boxes - Literary fiction (a favourite genre - tick). Beautifully written (word perfect, every bit - tick). Poignant (I cried a lot - tick). Depth and meaning ( it's about searching for what it is that you want from life - massive tick). It's witty and humorous too. If these things tick your boxes, why then you must read it - you won't be disappointed. 

When I had finished, I did something that, now I'm thinking about it, I only do with books that I have fallen in love with - I started to reread and go over parts of it again. I wanted to remind myself of the beginning, look for anything I might have missed, and for the patterns and connections that I was sure I hadn't. There is so much profundity to be savoured in this work, and you know how it is dear readers, when you have devoured a book, you just want more of it. Fortunately, I am aware that there is more to come from Ammar Kalia. I am here for it! 

Another thing I love about this book is that it keeps up the same, strong consistency. There aren't many books, I feel, even the ones I am fond of, that manage an unwavering high quality of writing which simultaneously keeps the reader interested throughout. This is one of the rare gems that does both, and why it has gone straight up there with my favourite books of all time. It's books like these that remind me why I studied English Literature. I found it very powerful and incredibly inspiring. The title almost feels like part of my philosophy now. I agree - a person is a prayer. 

I am incredibly grateful to Oldcastle books for sending me a copy of this ARC. I consider myself very lucky to be one of the first to read it. I know it is going to be a hit - it's already been voted a top read of 2024 in numerous reviews. It is my first 5/5 star read of the year so far, and certainly my favourite. 

It's out in May this year. Please read it. It's the kind of book that left me feeling thankful to the author for writing it. Thank you again, Ammar Kalia.