Veronica by Asif Hossain: A subtle portrayal of longing, loneliness, and grief.
“What is there to live for if one only pursues what other people want and never considers their own dream?”
The line is still stuck in my head. The descriptions in the book are so vivid that it’s almost like watching a film. Everything is described so vividly that it almost flashes in front of the reader’s eyes, from a sudden downpour of rain to the clear yellowish shade of the evening sky after a hazy day.
Veronica is a gripping story about Veronica, a young adult who is introverted and enjoys reading. Her journey without a destination leads her to the Ozarks, where she meets Olivia, a captivating college student. Olivia was friendly and outgoing. The two gradually fall in love and embark on a romantic journey together. As the author explains: “They haven’t said the word love yet, but it appears to be the most prevalent among them.” But, a sudden tragedy, on the other hand, brings the story to a halt.
The book’s best feature is how it artistically captures the essence of loneliness. Everything depicts deep meaning that a reader can interpret in their own way, from the slow-burning cigarette to the character’s isolation in her flat to a deep conversation between a lesbian woman and a straight man beside the promenade at midnight. It also shows the necessity of human connection, as the characters often share deep and quiet conversations about their lives.
Overall, Veronica is a book that will please the hearts of readers who enjoy gloomy and sad stories with a bittersweet ending.
I’ll finish with another quote from the book that has touched me deeply: “It’s strange to think how under the same sky and in a short distance, someone is mourning and someone is having the time of their life.”
(c) Sarah Weiss
