Summer is upon us, which for many of us means a break from our everyday lives to travel to different places. The landscape varies vastly; mountains, beaches, desserts, or even simply a grandparent’s home. All this travel often calls for many hours at the airport and on flights. Platform brings you a list of aircraft reads that you can finish in one sitting, that succinctly pack wit and fun, perfect for travel season.
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
A compelling meditation of motherhood and womanhood, this novella follows Lena, who takes a vacation and begins to observe a mother and a daughter close by, which causes her to introspect on her own relationship with her daughters.
Foster by Claire Keegan
Tight and succinct, Foster is a simple enough story. A young girl is sent to live with distant relatives for a summer while her mother is pregnant with another child and the short time together builds a deep emotional resonance in the lives of the girl and the Kinsellas who take her in.
So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
Though only 135 pages long, it can seem at times that whole paragraphs of unwritten backstory are suggested by every line, every image. Set in the early 1920s, one married farmer befriends another, then steals his wife, leading to broken marriages and a murder we know from the start.
A Meal in Winter by Hubert Mingarelli
The premise follows three Nazi-German soldiers, who leave to find hiding Jews in the Polish countryside. They commiserate and complain about the snow, about their lack of sleep, the deep cold, and a problem one has with his son. It juxtaposes these heartbreakingly human conversations while they are out committing an extremely inhumane act.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Small Things Like These is a slim novella which appears to be a tiny Christmas story at the outset, but it is a wisely drawn-out bold portrait of human conscience. It follows Bill, a coal merchant who discovers something while making a delivery, and is forced to confront his past.
Rosarita by Anita Desai
Written after a long hiatus, Rosarita is about a young Indian scholar who travels from her family’s home in India to Mexico to study the Spanish language. Once there, she succumbs to temptation to follow the rumors of her mother’s journey to Mexico as she once pursued a goal of being an artist.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, this slender novel is a literary meditation on a crew of astronauts orbiting the earth. The very fact that it is not science fiction is itself miraculous and implausible, and what sets it apart from any other writing set in space.
Sakina’s Kiss by Vivek Shanbag
In Sakina's Kiss, Vivek Shanbhag explores themes such as family dynamics, masculinity, power, and introduces a protagonist with a penchant for self-help books. The novel takes readers on a journey through the life of Venkat, who strives to be the 'man of the house' but grapples with a disorienting question that challenges his deeply held beliefs.
Silk Route by Sachin Kandulkar
We follow the journey of Nishikant, who leaves his home after a family scandal involving his sister. He is a queer man navigating love, loss, and desire; his story is tangled with that of Srinivas, his lover. Although only around a hundred and ten pages, it creates a world of itself.
Keeru by Fauzia Rafique
In Keeru, author Fauzia Rafique builds a world that traverses the fault lines of class, caste and power. Originally penned in the 1970s and completed many years later, this book tells a story of politics of the past as well as the present. It is an unflinching portrayal of resilience, and brings together the voices of five distinct characters within a world where the overlooked, vulnerable and defiant fight against systemic injustice.
Words Platform Desk
Date 1.5.2026