The Book Left Open - A story in chai, chapters, and the people who almost stayed.  (Paperback, A. J. Shah)

In the heart of monsoon-soaked Bombay, twenty-something Millie is trying to stay afloat. Her days are wrapped in the aroma of chai and the weight of unsaid things. Haunted by the memory of a heartbreak that fractured her sense of self, and by the lingering grief of loving someone who was never going to stay, Millie isn’t looking for another ending. Then comes Ari—sharp-witted, emotionally attuned, and living with a terminal illness that should have made her run. Instead, his presence is an unraveling. Through hospital corridors, late-night text exchanges, literature podcasts, and city trains, the two begin an unexpected, slow-burn connection that dares to ask: how do you love when you’ve been taught to expect loss? The Book Left Open is a deeply introspective, non-linear literary fiction novel about mental health, complicated relationships, first loves, grief, healing, and learning to live—truly live—when you’ve been a ghost in your own life for far too long. This emotionally rich, character-driven story will appeal to fans of books that explore themes of: grief, trauma, and healing emotional intimacy and slow-burn romance Indian contemporary fiction and coming-of-age stories literary fiction with romantic elements female protagonists navigating mental health and self-worth Bombay as a vivid, living setting chai as a motif, and storytelling as salvation