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...