To begin again

It’s been days since I turned that last page. I finally put a full stop to my last relationship. And you know how hard it is to move on and start a new life. When there’s no next page to turn, you have no choice but to accept the end. We shared some wonderful moments together; created memories that I’ll always cherish. But alas, every journey has its destination.

Then again, wasn’t I aware of this ending the moment I took that very first step? Somewhere, deep in the back of my mind, I was always bracing for the moment we’d reach the final chapter. From the beginning, it was clear, there was never going to be a “…happily ever after” for this companionship.

But hold your horses guys,

I’m not talking about a girl, and no breakup song is playing in the background. Doesn’t this sound more like finishing a really good book?

When you crack open a cover and dive into the world an author has so beautifully crafted, there’s always that final page with the words “The End.”
And if the book is truly fascinating, it casts a kind of spell, opening up a portal and pulling you into the characters’ lives, making you feel like you’re part of their journey.
The author takes them by the hand and leads them toward their fate. By the last page, their story is complete. If joy awaits them, they savor it. If it’s a tragedy, they still find closure.

But hey, dear writer — did you forget something? What about us, the readers? What about our closure? Didn’t you think of us, the uninvited travelers who journeyed alongside your characters?

This is exactly what happens to me every time I finish an incredible book. I need time to emerge from the world between its covers. I know it sounds a little unhinged — but to my fellow bibliophiles out there, aren’t we all a little crazy like that? Like someone hopelessly in love, I fall for each new world I discover. 

Even now, I’m drawn back to my bookshelf again. The scent of those printed pages enchants me, tempting me to pick up a new book… and begin again.


This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

Fore more such posts, please click here.


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Comments

26 responses to “To begin again”

  1. Janhavi Avatar
    Janhavi

    Reading a really mesmerising book is nothing less than a Romance …a love that is beautiful yet comes with an expiry date…Aditya your writing is beautiful.

  2. Romila Chitturi Avatar

    Your post is every reader’s heart’s feeling. That pain of saying goodbye to characters you’ve lived with through the story, and the sense of being left behind while they move on as we close the book is very much relatable as I go through the same most of the time.

  3. Tanvi Agarwal Avatar
    Tanvi Agarwal

    Indeed reading is a gift I will cherish all my life and spread it like anything because it is a blessing

  4. Mayuri Sharrma Avatar

    You’ve articulated what we readers feel so well. It is indeed an empty feeling after a really good book ends.

  5. Reubenna Dutta Avatar

    When we truly read a book with love, we always want more of it; it really becomes like a love story, only with the book and not a human being.

  6. Ambica Gulati Avatar

    You’ve expressed this so well. Moving from one world to another world needs time. All books are portals to another world, some more mesmerising than the others. Lately, I’ve taken breaks between two books, otherwise it feels like a jump without any assimilation. Break song lekin banata hai 😛

  7. Meetalikutty Avatar
    Meetalikutty

    Your “To Begin Again” reflection hits beautifully , that quiet grief of closing a beloved book or chapter, paired with the bittersweet thrill of stepping into a new story, is something every reader (and human) knows too well. It’s the perfect tribute to endings that ache and beginnings that whisper, “what’s next?”

    1. Adi Sathe Avatar

      This small whisper always keep the hopes high!

  8. Janaki Avatar

    Haha…so true. I always believe that readers are as important as writers, as they walk along the same path. Indeed this is the feeling every time a wonderful book ends, but luckily we have the next one waiting…

    1. Adi Sathe Avatar

      Any author writes because he/she wants world to read his story. Yes, readers are very important.

  9. Preeti Chauhan Avatar
    Preeti Chauhan

    Knowing the caring person that you are I knew right at the outset that you were talking about a book and no girl could ever break up with you.
    That said, the emptiness bothers me too specially if the writer left unanswered questions or did such a good job that you keep thinking about the characters or the questions even later, and then a part of you wants to get hold of the writer to ask them to share their thoughts and give closure and a part of you just goes back to to the quest of finding more books to immerse into.

    1. Adi Sathe Avatar

      That’s not the case… I have had my share of heartbreaks too. One’s quite recent I say. Sometimes, life happens to you.

  10. Varsh Avatar

    Totally get you. Sometimes a good book can do that to us. We never want to see the last page!

  11. Neha Sharma Avatar
    Neha Sharma

    Such a heartfelt piece, Adi. As a fellow book lover, I could feel every word, that lingering feeling after finishing a great book is so real. It’s like saying goodbye to a dear friend. And yet, the beauty lies in starting all over again with a new story.

  12. Samata Avatar

    When a reader keep thinking and imagining what next could have happened with the story after finishing the last page truly indicates that the author managed to reach the hearts of the reading to create that lasting impact.

  13. A Rustic Mind Avatar

    You should consider making this an entry for Ritu’s Bookish League hop. Pakka jeetegi 😀

    1. Adi Sathe Avatar

      That’s sweet of you, but I don’t know if I have enough time to do engagements and be really a part of another hop. Plate is quite full.

  14. docdivatraveller Avatar

    As a fellow bibliophile, I totally get you! Sometimes even a compelling show or movie also does this!

    1. Adi Sathe Avatar

      I am not much of a movie/show person. So haven’t experienced it much. But yes, it’s true.

  15. Swati Sarangi Avatar

    What a beautifully honest reflection ; embracing the end of a chapter and trusting that a new one will write itself is so powerful. Your words feel like a gentle nudge to all of us hesitant to take that first step forward. Thank you for the courage and authenticity.

    1. Adi Sathe Avatar

      I am just paying forward… Some people have nudged me too take that first step forward.

  16. Sindhu Vinod Narayan Avatar

    I absolutely love how you’ve penned this. A good book Definitely gives this feeling

  17. Shalini Avatar

    Of course, I am that way. Most readers would be. It takes sometime to gather my thoughts and emotions after I finish a book. 🙂

  18. chandrika130652fb184600 Avatar
    chandrika130652fb184600

    I completely get you. Some end and some affairs do continue beyond the closing of the last page too.

  19. chandrika130652fb184600 Avatar
    chandrika130652fb184600

    I completely get you. Some end with the last page and some continue beyond too. The warmth of a good book is something that cannot be described.

  20. mommywithagoal Avatar
    mommywithagoal

    Your post truly spoke to me. “To begin again” feels so close to where I am right now—learning to embrace fresh starts with grace and courage. Thank you for the reminder.

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