One hundred names!

Book : One hundred names

Author: Cecelia Ahern

From the many books we read some entertain us, some make us sad, some give us a sudden energy and some…. Well some books make us realize ..

So this book made me realize something. What? That you will know once you read the story of the book.

So kitty, a professional journalist, high achiever, confident, smart, writer, good hearted and a die hard fan of investigative stories goes through the worst phase of her life. She is accused of defaming a person. And that actually is a big crime. She lives with that guilt in her heart. The guilt of spoinling a person’s life for no reason. She also has a friend dying with cancer. When she finally goes to meet Constance, the editor of a magazine, she just asks her one question. ‘What is that story that you have always wanted to write?’ Deciding not to give her a direct answer, she tells Kitty to get back to her with a piece of paper lying in her desk. By the time Kitty gets back it’s too late. Constance leaves kitty with a piece of paper with hundred names. The story revolves around how Kitty completes the story Constance always wanted to write having no clue as to who the hundred people are.

 

So she sets out on a journey to find these 100 people. At first, she thinks Constance has been in touch with them and she just needs to continue from where Constance stopped. But more and more digging makes her realise that Constance had only sown the seed of her idea. She hadn’t given any water or sunlight for it to grow and bloom. Everything had to be done by Kitty..

She meets the first 6 people on the list and she loves it. She realizes that everyone has a story to say. Everyone have these things that are unsaid and undone. Things that they roam around burdening their heart with. All they need is a person listening to them. All they need is a small push. All they need is to reflect back at life and see how they have managed all along. And so she does get the answers to all her questions. She figures out everything. Not only Constance’s story but a lot of other things too.

 

So the question, what did I realize after reading the book?

In Kitty’s process to find the answers  I realized that the people on the list found it tough to open up at first. But when they were persuaded and asked to tell their untold story, they actually opened up and what came out of it was something unbelievable. And these fictional characters in the book are the same as normal people. It’s not easy to get stuff out of normal people. Thay have a lot in them. But only when we ask the important questions everything starts coming out. Every person has a story to tell. Every person has his own dreams, regrets, sorrows, happiness, achievements, and wishes.  But how many times do we have valuable conversation with people? How many times do we ask them questions about things other than movies, songs, hobbies, future plan? All we want to know is what that person has done, is doing or is going to do. We never get to what is in his / her heart.

 

THINK!

Have you ever asked someone what they regret in life and how they plan to get out of it?

Have you ever asked anyone what they want to become in life?

Have you ever asked anyone who their role model is?

Have you ever asked anyone why they are they are right now?

What changes they have gone through from the time they were small?

Have you asked anyone what they wish for?

I am sure there’s a lot more to learn about a person. All you need to do is take the first step and kick start a wonderful conversation!

Happy talking!

It’s time to talk! :D