Short and good work in English, that can be selected as book of the the month for a Literature society
We Have Always Lived in the Castle — Shirley Jackson (1962)
A gothic, claustrophobic, psychologically rich novel told by an unforgettable narrator.
Overall Plot
The Blackwood family lives in near‑isolation after most of their relatives were poisoned at dinner six years earlier. Only Merricat, her older sister Constance, and their infirm Uncle Julian remain. The townspeople hate and taunt them. When a charming but manipulative cousin, Charles, arrives, the fragile balance of their world fractures. A fire, mob violence, and complete societal breakdown follow, culminating in Merricat and Constance sealing themselves away from the world entirely.
It is a story about ostracism, trauma, family bonds, and the dark comfort of isolation.
Chapter‑wise Summary
Chapter 1
Merricat introduces the Blackwoods, her routines, and the townspeople’s hostility. We learn Constance never leaves the estate, and Uncle Julian obsessively documents the poisoning.
Chapter 2
Merricat fetches groceries and endures public ridicule. Uncle Julian recounts the night of the poisoning to a visiting couple, revealing that Constance was tried but acquitted.
Chapter 3
Merricat constructs protective rituals (buried coins, nailed objects). Signs of change unsettle her. A sense of impending disruption builds.
Chapter 4
Cousin Charles arrives unexpectedly, charming Constance and criticizing their lifestyle. Merricat immediately perceives him as a threat.
Chapter 5
Charles grows controlling, moving into the father’s room, and tries to dominate Constance financially and emotionally. Merricat becomes increasingly resistant.
Chapter 6
Merricat attempts magical “warding,” destroying objects to drive Charles away. Constance scolds her, widening the emotional gap between them.
Chapter 7
Merricat causes a spill in Charles’s room; he leaves a lit pipe, which sparks a fire. The villagers arrive — first to help, then turning into a violent mob, destroying the house.
Chapter 8
In the aftermath, Constance and Merricat hide in the woods. The house is a burnt shell. Charles flees in fear.
Chapter 9
The sisters clean the remains and begin living in total seclusion. Food is left on their step as villagers feel guilt and superstition.
Merricat imagines an eternal world where she and Constance are safe together.
2) Small Things Like These — Claire Keegan (2021)
A quiet moral powerhouse confronting complicity, kindness, and courage in 1980s Ireland.
Overall Plot
Set in 1985 in a small Irish town, the novella follows Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five. During Christmas deliveries, he discovers signs of cruelty involving girls forced to work and live in the local convent’s laundry (a Magdalene institution). He struggles between maintaining his livelihood and doing what is morally right. Ultimately, he chooses compassion, rescuing a girl named Sarah despite community silence.
The story explores small acts of bravery that ripple against entrenched societal wrongdoing.
Chapter‑wise Summary
(The novella is not divided into numbered chapters, so this is a section‑based summary following its narrative arc.)
Section 1: Bill’s Work and Routine
Bill Furlong manages winter coal deliveries. His reflections reveal he was born to an unwed mother and raised kindly by her employer. He is grateful for the stability he now has with his wife and daughters.
Section 2: The Convent Delivery
During a delivery to the Good Shepherd convent, Bill finds a traumatized young girl locked in a coal shed. He senses wrongdoing but is subtly warned not to interfere.
Section 3: Community Silence
Bill sees how the town avoids criticizing the convent. He recognizes parallels to his own mother’s precarious past and feels morally implicated. His wife fears social and financial consequences if he meddles.
Section 4: Inner Conflict Intensifies
Bill becomes increasingly burdened by guilt and outrage. Memories of his mother and of all the kindness given to him sharpen his sense of responsibility.
Section 5: The Act of Courage
On Christmas Eve, Bill returns to the convent. He finds Sarah again, cold and desperate, and decides to take her home with him — a quiet but radical act of moral defiance.
Section 6: Open‑Ended Aftermath
The book ends with Bill walking home with Sarah in his arms, knowing the consequences may come but accepting that he has finally acted according to conscience.
3) The Stranger — Albert Camus (1942)
A stark, existential novel examining absurdity, emotional detachment, and society’s need for meaning.
Overall Plot
Meursault, an emotionally detached French Algerian, narrates his mother’s death, a new love affair, and an impulsive killing of an unnamed Arab man on a sun‑scorched beach. He is tried less for the murder than for his refusal to conform to expected social emotions. Condemned to die, he embraces the philosophical “absurd”: life has no inherent meaning, and peace comes from accepting this truth.
Chapter‑wise Summary
Part 1, Chapter 1
Meursault’s mother dies; he shows no grief. His indifferent behavior at the vigil shocks others.
Chapter 2
Meursault resumes ordinary life the next day, swimming and starting a relationship with Marie.
Chapter 3
He observes neighbors and coworkers with detached curiosity, demonstrating his emotional distance.
Chapter 4
Meursault encounters conflict involving Raymond, a shady acquaintance. He helps Raymond write a manipulative letter to his mistress.
Chapter 5
Marie proposes marriage; Meursault says he doesn’t care but would if she wanted. Absurd emotional neutrality is emphasized.
Chapter 6
On a beach trip, a confrontation escalates. Under blinding sunlight and heat, Meursault impulsively shoots the Arab man — “because of the sun.”
Part 2, Chapter 1
Meursault is interrogated. Officials are shocked more by his emotional indifference than the murder.
Chapter 2
During the trial, his lack of remorse, his behavior at his mother’s funeral, and his atheism dominate the prosecution’s case.
Chapter 3
The prosecutor paints Meursault as a moral monster. Meursault realizes his fate is sealed regardless of the facts.
Chapter 4
Meursault is sentenced to death. He refuses a priest’s attempts at religious consolation.
Chapter 5
He fully embraces the “absurd” — life is meaningless, death is inevitable, and acceptance brings freedom. He imagines “a crowd of spectators” greeting his execution with “howls of hate.”
4. Ghachar Ghochar — Plot Overview
A newly wealthy Bangalore family unravels under the weight of money, control, secrecy, and unspoken tensions. Told by an unnamed narrator, the story reflects how sudden financial comfort alters relationships, increases dependence, and ultimately corrodes the family’s moral core. The title phrase — “ghachar ghochar” — means “entangled beyond repair.”
The novella explores power, gender dynamics, financial dependence, and quiet brutality within domestic walls, all delivered in spare, piercing prose.
📖 Section‑wise / Chapter‑wise Summary
Section 1 — The Coffee House & Vincent
The narrator spends his days at a quiet coffee house, speaking to the waiter Vincent, who acts as a kind of moral compass. Their conversations hint at the narrator’s passivity and dependence on his family. This framing device foreshadows the inner turmoil he cannot express openly.
Section 2 — Before Wealth: A Tight Household
We see the family’s earlier life:
The narrator’s father worked for a spice company.
Money was scarce, but family structure was simple and functional.
His sister Malati and mother worked hard to maintain the home.
These memories contrast starkly with the upheaval that follows.
Section 3 — The Rise of Chikkappa (Uncle)
The turning point arrives when Chikkappa, the narrator’s enterprising uncle, loses his job and starts a spice business. The venture is unexpectedly successful, transforming the family’s financial situation almost overnight.
With newfound wealth:
A larger house is purchased.
Responsibilities shift.
The narrator stops working entirely.
Chikkappa becomes the de facto authority — benevolent, but increasingly controlling.
Section 4 — Wealth Reshapes the Family
We see the darker underside of comfort:
The father loses his job and retreats into silence.
The mother becomes indulgent and status‑driven.
Malati becomes entitled and abrasive.
The narrator grows dependent and purpose‑less.
Class and power dynamics warp everyday interactions. The narrator feels guilt but remains passive.
Section 5 — Marriage to Anita
The narrator marries Anita, a confident, modern working woman whose clarity unsettles the family.
Key conflicts arise:
Anita asks simple, rational questions the family cannot handle — especially about finances.
She notices the men do not work and finds the household claustrophobic.
Malati and Anita clash repeatedly.
Chikkappa only tightens his psychological grip.
Anita becomes the only person who threatens to expose the family’s unhealthy dynamics.
Section 6 — Domestic Tensions Escalate
Anita’s attempts to create boundaries — especially around privacy and fairness — are resisted by everyone.
The narrator, though sympathetic to her, offers no real support. His helplessness reveals how entangled he is in the family’s comfort and control.
After a particularly explosive fight with Malati, Anita leaves the house abruptly.
Section 7 — Anita’s Disappearance and Family Denial
The narrator half‑expects — and half‑hopes — that Anita will return. But the family behaves as though she never existed, erasing her from conversation.
Vincent’s warning at the coffee house — “If we do something wrong, the world has a way of settling scores” — rings ominously.
The narrator is trapped in guilt, paralysis, and dependence.
Section 8 — The Ending (Ambiguous, Chilling)
The novella closes with a symbolic scene:
Ants invade the house (repeating a story from earlier).
Chikkappa responds ruthlessly, crushing them without hesitation.
The narrator realizes that he too lives in an ecosystem where any dissenting presence is eliminated to preserve the family’s illusion of harmony.
The story ends before telling us Anita’s fate, leaving the reader with the unsettling sense that the family’s moral entanglement — the ghachar ghochar — is complete and irreversible.
Three Men in a Boat — Jerome K. Jerome (1889)
Genre: Comic novel
Setting: A two‑week boating holiday along the River Thames, England
Characters:
J. (the narrator, representing Jerome himself)
George
Harris
Montmorency (their mischievous fox terrier)
What the Book Is About
Three friends, convinced that they are suffering from various imaginary illnesses brought on by “overwork,” decide to take a restorative boating trip on the Thames. Their journey, meant to be peaceful and revitalizing, quickly becomes a tapestry of comic misadventures, bungled tasks, absurd anecdotes, and gentle reflections on life.
They camp, cook disastrously, get lost (notably in the Hampton Court Maze), argue, reminisce, and poke fun at themselves and Victorian society. Despite the chaos, their friendship holds steady, and the narrative flows with Jerome’s signature lightness and wit.
Why It’s Still Loved
Timeless humor: The jokes remain surprisingly fresh even today.
Relatable misadventure: The trio’s incompetence in the simplest tasks makes the book deeply endearing.
Travel & nostalgia: It doubles as a snapshot of the Thames and English life in the late 19th century.
Originally intended as a travel guide, it became a comic classic when the humor overtook the “serious” content.
Three Men in a Boat — Chapter‑wise Summary (Ch. 1–19)
(Ch. 20 is historically a concluding chapter with reflections; included below.)
The novel is episodic — each chapter mixes the Thames journey with humorous digressions, anecdotes, and observations.
CHAPTER‑WISE SUMMARIES
Chapter 1
J., George, and Harris meet and complain about imaginary illnesses. Hypochondria convinces them they need rest. They decide a holiday will cure their “overwork.”
Chapter 2
The men debate where to go. A sea trip is rejected after J. narrates disastrous stories of seasickness. They choose a boating trip up the Thames.
Chapter 3
Planning begins. They argue over whether to “camp out” or stay at inns. Weather unpredictability makes camping contentious.
Chapter 4
Packing lists are made. J. reflects on over‑packing and how people carry unnecessary items. They argue over responsibilities.
Chapter 5
Montmorency the dog is introduced — mischievous, energetic, and always causing trouble. The men doubt whether he should accompany them.
Chapter 6
They attempt to pack the bags. A comic sequence follows where they repeatedly unpack for forgotten items (like the toothbrush). Tensions rise.
Chapter 7
They leave for Waterloo Station but encounter chaos: nobody knows which train goes where. They finally bribe a driver to reach Kingston.
Chapter 8
They collect their boat and begin the journey. J. describes earlier experiences on the river and expresses admiration for the Thames scenery.
Chapter 9
They struggle with steering and rowing. J. narrates stories about boating etiquette and collisions. Harris attempts to cook but fails humorously.
Chapter 10
They visit historical sites. J. gives comedic accounts of Henry VIII stories and local legends. The chapter blends travelogue with satire.
Chapter 11
They continue upriver. Harris gets lost in a hedge maze (a famous humorous episode). They mock human folly and confusion.
Chapter 12
Rain sets in. The men complain about weather forecasts and the unreliability of barometers. Mood dips; they long for comfort.
Chapter 13
They stop at Marlow. J. reflects on picturesque villages and romanticizes past stories. Harris and J. bicker over trivial things.
Chapter 14
Food scarcity becomes an issue. They fail at cooking again. A comic incident follows with a kettle that refuses to boil.
Chapter 15
They attempt to wash clothes in the river — a complete disaster. Montmorency interferes, making things worse.
Chapter 16
George joins them after work. The three men share drinks and swap exaggerated stories about hardships and bravery.
Chapter 17
An incident with a swan and some aggressive behavior leads to panic. The men are hilariously unprepared for nature.
Chapter 18
At Oxford, J. narrates more historical digressions and stories of students, mishaps, and social observations.
Chapter 19
The weather worsens sharply. The boat becomes damp and miserable. The men debate the meaning of “roughing it” and begin craving home comforts.
Chapter 20 (Final Chapter)
They decide to abandon the trip. At Oxford, they take a train home. That night, in a warm restaurant, they celebrate “escaping” nature.
They conclude that while the Thames is beautiful, comfort and civilization are deeply underrated.
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