Caught cheating at a Coldplay concert? Here are 5 books to feel all your feelings

Indian Express

22-07-2025

(Written by Kaashvi Khubyani)
So the internet just gave us the most dramatic plot twist of the month and no, it's not from a thriller novel. At Coldplay's recent concert, a crowd-cam caught Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his HR chief Kristin Cabot allegedly having an affair. The scandal blew up faster than a Chris Martin high note, making Twitter wonder: was it 'Fix You' for the wife or 'Something Just Like This' for the duo?
But amidst the chaos, the concert reminded us of something else – Coldplay doesn't just give us bangers, they give us book-worthy emotions. So, while the HR files might be open elsewhere, we're flipping open five books that vibe with five Coldplay anthems, each carrying a lyrical plot twist of its own.
When Coldplay says 'I will try to fix you,' it feels written for Ove, a grumpy old man whose life has fallen apart after his wife's death. But a new neighbor and her chaos starts to rebuild the broken pieces of his grief. Both the song and the novel are love letters to second chances, emotional healing and the quiet way people save one another. This song and book are companions in the belief that we don't heal alone and sometimes, we need someone to sit beside us in the dark and promise: 'I will try to fix you.'
Both Sally Rooney's Normal People and Coldplay's The Scientist revolve around the pain of love that is deeply misunderstood, not because it wasn't real but because people are sometimes incapable of saying what they feel. 'The Scientist' delves into same quiet nostalgia that fills Connell and Marianne's story. It's not about displaying your affection or betrayals ,it's about what's left unsaid and the misunderstandings that grow between two people who love each other. The refrain of 'let's go back to the start' could be a Rooney chapter title.
'You were all yellow,' sings Chris Martin, an image of brightness and beauty in someone who doesn't see it in themselves. Hazel never expected to be adored so wholly. But Augustus sees her pain and still thinks the stars, the universe and every broken piece of her shines.Yellow isn't just about admiration- it's about saying 'I'd do anything for you', even if I can't fix you or save you. Just like Augustus' grand gestures, from the champagne pre-funeral to the trip to Amsterdam, the song hums with the same truth: 'For you, I'd bleed myself dry.'
'Viva La Vida' is the perfect tune to Dorian Gray's downfall. 'I used to rule the world' could easily be Dorian reflecting on his lost innocence and fame, after his obsession with vanity destroys him completely. Both the song and the book intersect in the duality of grandeur and guilt. If Wilde had a playlist, this would be track one sung by a once-beautiful man watching his own downfall in the mirror. The Picture of Dorian Gray and Viva La Vida are warnings that even the most glittering life, when built on self-obsession and sin, will crumble- first inside and then all around.
In a café where time travel is possible, the question isn't 'can I go back?' but 'should I?' The ticking piano of 'Clocks' mirrors each character in the book that travels through time not to change the future, but to understand the past. Both are obsessed with time, fate, and consequences. Each character's journey has the desire to change something that perhaps shouldn't be changed. Together, they are a gentle reminder that while time moves forward, healing is just sitting with the past before the coffee gets cold.