Artichoke Hearts

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Ah, Millie! You’re the early bird this morning,’ she chirps, as if keeping the lid on a ready-to-blow pan of popcorn. By the look on Millie’s face, she knows my mum has totally lost the plot. For me personally, there was also a definite element of spirituality to this book. I do not know whether or not it was intended or whether it would strike other people in the same way, but as I read this book I found myself reading into some of the characters, a sort of other-worldliness which at times Mira herself does wonder about. But at the same time they appear as very real and very human and I think that is partly what this book is about. First of all, the grandmother (whose death of cancer is one of the major plot-points) is one of most endearing, most colourful characters in contemporary children's fiction. I adored her! I loved that the book didn't shy away from portraying her gradual diminishment, either. The grandmother's illness and death were handled very realistically, and the author didn't shy away from some intimate details, but it was always age-appropriate -- and somehow, even when depressing, also uplifting and life-affirming. When Mira has the courage to speak at her grandmother's funeral, her words about her grandmother's legacy had me weeping. Just couldn't get into this. The young love had me rolling my eyes. The attempts to go deep so frequently felt like listening to a speech over and over. The writing was frustrating and several times slipped into basically third person even though it was written in first present (I'm just saying, I don't think a 12 year old girl could read so deeply into adults' unspoken thoughts). The framework of the book being a diary felt unnecessary to me and having the characters in a writing class seemed like a device just to get in some metanarrative. I admit I was scanning by the end. We have to say what we think of the piece we’ve been given. What I notice first is the tense it’s written in. When I read something in the present tense, I can disappear into it, like I do when I’m painting. It’s as if I don’t exist any more; I just get lost somewhere in there among the characters . . .

There are so many other little side stories with the secondary characters that, even though subtle, are so heart-wrenching. But I’ll let you find out them yourselves. That was me, at school. Now, you can’t shut me up!’ Pat Print smiles. It’s weird because the way she smiles at me makes me feel as if she already knows who I am.No, I’m not. I think it’s because she’s not frightened and she’s got everyone around her who loves her.” As she walks out of school, she leaves a trail of dry mud behind her. My May Day Diary Saturday 30 April I also would have liked to have Mira’s Indian and Jewish heritage explored a bit more. It would have been fascinating to really understand how this issue of multi-culturalism affected her day-to-day life. I respected how the book didn’t choose to focus completely on ethnicity because this book is all about dealing with grief and growing up, no matter what race you are.

I absolutely adored Mira. In real life she was so shy and bumbling and it was so endearing that my heart nearly broke every time she tried to say something in class but couldn’t find the words and/or confidence. BUT…. When she was writing her diary she was passionate. She was confident. She was funny. She was so sweet when it came to her crush on Jide (but more on that scamp later.) She was intelligent. She was full of sympathy. She wanted to understand what was happening to her grandma and she wasn’t afraid to ask questions that didn’t have simple actions. Now you can do something for ME! Your ongoing project is to write a diary. We’ll call it The May Day Diary – I like that.’ Pat Print grins, pleased with herself for coming up with the title. The younger characters in Artichoke Hearts were all very interesting and different. Mira’s best friend Millie isn’t really like her at all but she is always there no matter what. I did find a couple of things about their friendship strange and maybe you will feel the same if you read this book, until then though, I don’t want to give too much away about why. Jidé and Ben, the two boys in the writing class, who are also best friends were great characters. I loved how different they were and how they managed to add a lot of humour to the story. Also, I could see something really special in both boys, making them really adorable and likable. On one hand this is a book about death. Author Sita Brahmachari has created an honest portrayal of a family preparing for the death of a loved one. Because the reader is made aware early on that Nana Josie is dying and will die by the end of the book, her death is less traumatic. Kids with questions about death (or are grieving themselves) will get a lot out of this book, including how hospices work, the different ways people deal with death, and how to celebrate a life. This being said, readers who are just looking for a good story will be equally satisfied. Sudha Bhuchar is adapting Artichoke Hearts through an enriching co creative experience with children in Years 6 and 7(the same age as Mira and her friends in the book) and is supported by Dramaturg, Carl Miller.

Artichoke Hearts explores a truly 21st century British family encompassing South Asian Hindu, Christian, Agnostic & Jewish; a ‘ lived multiculturalism’ with all its complexity &universality-still rarely seen on stage. Being of mixed heritage is UK’s fastest growing demographic and the play will offer diverse audiences a powerful experience of seeing themselves reflected in the work. Only four of us turn up. I think Miss Poplar, our ‘there for us’ Year Seven tutor, is a bit embarrassed, because she’s the one who’s set up this whole thing. She keeps fussing on about how well she’s advertised the group, but the writer just smiles sweetly and says that we’re a ‘jewel-sized cluster’. Somehow it’s not so bad reading out Millie’s line . . . I suppose it’s because I’m not responsible for what it’s saying. There was a huge variation in characters which I adored. Every character, whether they played a huge part or not, made a really big difference to the story. There were characters that were only mentioned once or twice and they still managed to make my heart hurt. Whether I enjoyed the story or not, an author who can give a character that depth is very talented. I’m a doodler and a daydreamer and a night dreamer. The last few weeks it’s been nightmares mostly, really bizarre stuff that freaks me out. Actually, I’ve been feeling a bit strange lately – it’s hard to say exactly how, but it feels like I’m walking a tightrope. I’m not sure what it is I’m going to fall off, but it definitely feels like I’m about to find out.

Told in a first person narrative, we join Mira just as she's about to start attending Literature Club. If that weren't enough to deal with, things are a bit awkward with her best friend, she's getting bullied at school, she's about to have her first period, and her beloved Nana is dying. It is, to put it simply, a fairly difficult time. Sudha and Carl explored the book and its big themes- first love, grief, family, and friendship with children who are facing the same turning points in their lives as Mira and her contemporaries. The resulting conversations and material from these workshops are informing the adaptation. These encounters affirmed the resonance of this project -as a springboard for schools to explore creativity and difficult conversations with children who have endured remote schooling and isolation for long periods, and for inter-generational audiences to come together and reflect on their own experiences. I like the modern sun, because the sun is so old, but in a way it’s always new. Every day there’s a sunset and a sunrise . . . Every day you wake up, it’s new. I saw that exhibition at the Tate Modern.’She starts by asking us our names, but the way she does it isn’t like a register at all. It just feels like she really wants to know who we are. Even so, it’s me who’s sitting next to her dreading the sound of my own shrill voice slicing into the silence. argh where do i start? there are so many 'bads' in this book i could name lots but I'm going to keep this short

A beautiful, elegant tribute to love, difference and life; Artichoke Hearts is something really rather special. The debut novel of Sita Brahmachari, narrated by young Mira Levenson, is one of those quietly stunning books that sidles into your heart and won't leave easily. Something else I love about English books is the inventive vocabulary. British children’s fiction, particularly contemporary realistic fiction, is full of amazing slang that I wish I could adopt in my life without my roommates looking at me funny. Every time I use words like splodgy, one of my friends will ask with a pained expression on their face, “Are you reading British kids books again?” The main thing about me is whenever I go to say something in class I blush up bright red so that before I’ve even opened my mouth, everyone knows how embarrassed I am, and after that I just clam up and lose the will to live.”I don't usually read books like this one. I was a little apprehensive when I saw that the main character is so much younger than me. Not that I don't read books with teens as the protagonists, it is in most YA, but Mira is young even for most YA. I was unsure, but I just decided to give it a go anyway. Artichoke Hearts was written in homage to an extraordinary bohemian artist, humanitarian & grandmother, Sita’s late mother-in-law Rosie Harrison. There is a lot in this book. It is full of stories and meaning and problems but the plot does not seem over-crowded or chaotic because everything seems to connect in a way I really appreciated when reading it. But I love this song and if you ignore the verses, this song really conveys the message that Nana Josie has been trying to teach Mira at throughout the book.