'Who saw the jaguar by the lake?' 5 brilliant book openings that captivated UAE readers

The first line is the deepest.

From flourishes of excitement just like Charles Dickens ‘It was the best of times…’, which contrasts the rise and fall of two European countries during turbulent times — to George Orwell’s foreboding ‘It was a cold day in April and all the clocks were striking thirteen,’  the secret to spiking a reader’s interest, often lies in the first line. As a look at some of the best lines in history would tell you, it doesn’t have to be deeply poetic, sophisticated, complicated or pulsing with adjectives.

It sets the tone for the author’s style, offering a glimpse of the characters and hinting at the story yet to unfold. The beauty of the first line lies in its freedom—there is no fixed format or rulebook. It depends entirely on the author’s unique voice and choice of words, as Nathalia Cotswold, a London-based professor of English literature, explains in an email. “It can be succinct, sharp, and biting, or it can be breezy, with words flowing into one another, depending on the artistic license the author chooses to exercise.”

So, what are some of the best opening lines that led UAE readers through the rest of the book?

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day

---Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Dubai-based Anjalie Rathore, a homemaker and avid bookwoom believes that while it gives you an insight into an author’s writing style, it’s also the first impression that invites your curiosity. Some lines seem so ordinary and plain and yet, you want to read on. “I think, it’s the gift of a remarkable author to start with the simplest of lines, and still set the tone of the rest of the book,” she says.

Rathore quotes Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, which starts with the simple words: “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”  These words carry the weight of quiet, sullen disappointment, describing a sense of hopelessness that pervades through the first few pages, delving into the ill-treatment of the protagonist Jane, at the hands of her aunt and siblings.

I am not a human being. I am a human becoming.

----The Overstory by Richard Powers

Faaizah A-Quaid, an American-Pakistani expat based in Dubai, loves these opening words, and perhaps for good reason. The line can be interpreted in different ways, imbued with philosophy as well as light humour, playing on the word ‘being’. It connects to the overarching themes of The Overstory, which revolves around the relationship between humans and trees, the gradual processes of nature and the interconnectedness of life. As Dubai-based Shira Manchanda, who is also a literary researcher, explains, “It does hint that the story connects the concept of change, perhaps in a larger sense.”

Moreover, lines like these help you decide whether the book will be your cup of tea, too.

Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents

----Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

This is Dubai-based Ipshita Sharma’s favourite. These seemingly grumbly lines are said by the protagonist Jo March, who perhaps, was one of the most fierce-spirited fictional women characters written in the 1900s. The dialogue leads the reader to the story of the March sisters, who while living in rather abject poverty, are determined to remain cheery despite their circumstances. What’s even more heartening is that they later do get presents, in the form of brightly coloured books, stowed away under their pillow.

Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know

---  Albert Camus, The Stranger

A-Quaid also cherishes these seemingly apathetic lines ridden with indifference. Cindy Lauren, a Dubai-based author and freelancer explains why these words immediately give you a jolt, and sit up straight: “You’re curious. Confused. Here’s a man talking about his mother’s death with a sort of careless indifference. And the next few lines continue leading you to this character, as he dismisses a telegram announcing his mother’s death. And if you finish the book, you’ll see how this beginning ties to the ending too; why he decides to reside in this indifference than hope.”

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…

---Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

This timeless quote has traveled through history, becoming an ironic template for countless speeches and conversations. Dubai-based Sudarshana and Naseeb Dugal both count it among their favorites. The quote contrasts England, in its age of enlightenment and progress, with France, which was gripped by a revolution that had nearly torn the country apart.

Who saw the jaguar by the lake?

Who saw grass grow on the bones of the living?

---Nathalie Handal, Love and Strange Horses

This is Shatha Almutawa, Director of Kutubna Cultural Centre's favourite, as she finds it lovely. She also finds the opening of Indonesian novelist Pramoedya Ananda Toer’s This Earth of Mankind, particulatly enchanting. Explaining further, she says, "It is an important work set during the Dutch colonial period and it deals with the injustices of this period. Toer wrote this novel while imprisoned and enduring hard labor and near starvation. In fact, he spent most of his adult life in prison, and wrote many of his books there, with or without pen and paper."