The Summer of Cool by Suchitra Krishnamoorthi

Book Summary

The Summer of Cool follows the story of tenyearold Chitrangana Varma (nicknamed Chitty), who lives in a bustling cooperative housing society in Mumbai called Swapnalok. Chitty is imaginative, mischievous, and a born storyteller she lies effortlessly to wriggle out of tricky situations, and has many dreams: having long hair, her mother baking her an angel cake, becoming a bathroomdecorator, and above all, finding her missing father. As the story unfolds, Chittys life is full of quirky neighbours, family dynamics (including her elder sister Smita and her whimsical grandmother), fantasy moments (like a talking doll, Sapna, that only Chitty hears), and adventures in the city as she sets off in search of her father. Along the way there are ups and downs friendship, disappointment, longing, wonder mixing humour, imagination, and poignancy; the climax ties together her emotional journey and gives resolution both to her familys longing and her own dreams.

About the Author

Suchitra Krishnamoorthi is an Indian actress, singer, writer, painter, and generally multitalented artist born on November 27, 1975, in Bombay (Mumbai), India. She comes from a family with a scholarly background her mother was a historian and professor, her father an income tax commissioner. She has worked in films (notably Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa), music (pop albums), television, and theatre. The Summer of Cool was her first novel, released in 2009; it is part of the Swapnalok Society series and draws heavily on her memories of growing up in a cooperative housing society in downtown Mumbai.Her style combines whimsy, observation, humour, and emotional depth, especially in exploring childhood longing, family, and identity.