Secrets spill and relationships sour, sacrifices are made and promises are broken, as plot twists propel the narrative forward to a dramatic finale.'- The Guardian

The denouementto the novel is quite open-ended. Is it to suggest that there is no closure in real life?Writea message in a bottleto other players about anything. Tell a story, share a secret, try to help a player or even harm them. I found the mystery of Elliot utterly compelling - in fact, I think I may have become almost as desperate for answers, and frustrated with Avani for not providing them, as Nik was! Even so, by the end, I could totally see why Avani behaved the way she did, as a result of blaming herself as well as wanting to protect her child from distressing knowledge. Jerry is still struggling with his addiction but seems to be well on his way to recovery. He leaves red flowers on Audrey's doorstep with a note that reads "Accept the good," a phrase which Jerry himself had told Brian, and that Brian had subsequently said to Audrey many times.

But to me, the story felt long and winding. There were too many details about things which i didn't care to know about. The pacing also could have been crisper and shorter. There are indeed some intrigue and thrill elements to the story; but they don't manage to keep the reader completely interested. And I can't say I loved where the story went and how it ended. I would have liked a different ending with Maddie learning some more lessons. Finally though I would say that the author really lands the ending – which manages to avoid dramatic revelations or overly saccharine resolution, but still finished on a memorable and hopeful note. Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule.A shared narrative between mother, Avani and her son Nik, this beautifully written book explores their relationship following the death of Avani’s father. Throughout the book we follow the aftermath through the perspectives of both characters - we understand more and more about each character as the book progresses through snippets of their past experiences, conversations with friends and family and their innermost thoughts and feelings that they each keep to themselves. Stephen Holden (2007-10-19). "Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)". The New York Times . Retrieved 2007-10-27. It was released on DVD and HD DVD on March 4, 2008. A Blu-ray version was released on March 24, 2009. The Things That We Lost by Jyoti Patel is a poignantly rendered novel of family, loss and secrets, and the depths we go to protect those we love— and ourselves. Overcome by the recent death of his beloved grandfather, Nik turns to question the mystery surrounding the unexpected death of his late father, Elliot, who passed away before he was born. So begins a gentle unravelling of the layers of family history and painful secrets carefully masked by Nik’s mother, Avani, piece by piece, until both mother and son reach a tense precipice that threatens to fracture their entire relationship. At first, Maddie doesn’t know what changed in her past, but something in her drug, sex, and alcohol fueled college years and thereafter, has played out differently. In this reality, the friend she lost, whose death has weighed on Maddie, is still alive.

I definitely connected with this book and with the characters due to my Gujarati heritage. I recognised a lot of Gujarati traditions, words and phrases which are so familiar to me and it was so refreshing seeing them written in a book. Some of the characters (most notably Rohan, and Nik’s friends) are so lovely, they gave me the warm-and-fuzzies. They reminded me of how, when you’re young, your friends’ families become your friends too, and you miss them when you move to different places or grow apart. As Maddie navigates this new world, she realizes she is the product of her own unhappiness. But is this new do-over exactly what she needs, even if it means never seeing her daughters again?Patel’s novel was published this January following her winning the #Merky Books New Writer’s Prize in April 2021. “It was really a dream come true, even just to be longlisted and shortlisted,” she tells me. “But to win and to have a book deal was just incredible.” I spoke to Patel about The Things That We Lost , feeling othered, and the importance of representing male friendship in fiction. I requested this debut novel by Jyoti Patel, who won the #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize in 2021, attracted by its themes of family and identity. Although it centres on a young person, it’s not one of those struggling millennials novels but a story about generations and the stories they tell or don’t tell. It did not disappoint, and reminded me of Sairish Hussain’s “ The Family Tree” or Kasim Ali’s “ Good Intentions” with their multicultural and university settings.

This book is at heart an exploration of two things – grief and growing up in a multicultural family. a b "Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) - Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2007-10-25. The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love.

Which South Asian stories are you looking forward to reading in 2023, and what have you got lined up?

Jyoti Patel has taken weighty themes and balanced them with lighter moments of humour, mystery and intrigue. The exploration of loss and grief is so painfully accurate it hits you in the pit of your stomach, but the overall effect is a novel full of heart and deeply moving.