The Piano - Story of a friendship

“The Piano - Story of a Friendship” by Nandita Basu. Published by Duckbill. An engrossing story in graphic novel format about the journey of a piano halfway across the world surviving turbulent times and finding its true friend.

The story starts off with a little girl writing a letter to “Mr. God”. She wants a friend and not just any but the best one in the world! Well, she believes that God can hear her. What she didn’t know was that there was someone who was looking for a friend in the same way. This was no ordinary friend. It was a piano.

The piano had been made long ago and much before the girl was born. If had travelled from the place where it was made in Leipzig in Germany to Paris where it was a mute spectator to the ravages of WWI. It miraculously survived the bombings and made its way to England after the war from where it was then shipped to Calcutta. It was a witness to the Indian freedom struggle. The way in which it made its way to the girl was nothing short of a miracle. But the story didn’t end here. They get separated. Read the book to find out what happened to the piano next and where else did it have to go.

My eight year old just loved the book. He made me order it when he saw the title in our wish list as he is learning to play the keyboard. We finished reading it in one continuous sitting. The story was so gripping that we couldn’t let go of it. Even my husband who opened the book when it was delivered couldn’t let go of it and read it immediately. One of those rare books in recent times to have the distinction of being read by all three of us so quickly! The book transcends the thin line between fact and fiction seamlessly and kept us guessing till the end.

We have been enjoying reading books set during the Indian independence movement and World Wars in the last couple of months. This story of love, friendship, unexpectedness, survival, loneliness and celebration of the power of music and its role in our lives is so powerful and charming.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 8+ to be read aloud and 10+ for self reading.

Reasons to Read

For an extraordinary story of friendship spanning across years and the power of music.

Where to buy from?

An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.