by Sara Nisha Adams
Sara Nisha Adams's lovely and heart-warming debut novel has a simple premise: the profound influence of storytelling. To teach us varied wisdoms, to embrace our imagination, and to unite despite all our differences.
Who wouldn't love to find a secret reading list tucked away in a quaint little library fighting to stay open? Located in Wembley, the narrative employs a Love Actually-esque transition between characters who are initially unfamiliar and dissimilar but find their paths intersecting in unexpected ways. Sara Nisha Adams evokes a slow-burning urgency of the incredible effect a good book can have on one's life. This novel gave me Guernsey-level chills and flashbacks in its reverence to and for reading.
Full disclosure: this book was slow to start and took me a few chapters to really engage with the characters and the storyline.
And I am so glad that I stuck with it, becase once I was hooked, well, I couldn't put it down!
I must confess that I have not read every book on the list, but have certainly added them to my personal never-ending reading list.
"Just in case you need it" is about the sweetest sentiment for subtly networking your favorite books. Us bibliophiles all have favorites we often revisit for comfort, lessons, and a journey to a familiar world.
They were all her favourite books, the books she had grown up with, the books that had found her at the right time, that had given her comfort when she needed it, had given her an escape, an opportunity to live beyond her life, an opportunity to love more powerfully, a chance to open up and let people in.
We are creatures of habit, and for the two main characters, Aleisha and Mukesh, their habits do not include reading. During the summer holiday, Aleisha gets a job at the local library. Simultaneously, Mukesh stumbles upon a library book that his late wife had never returned. Taking a break from his David Attenborough documentaries, Mukesh reads the book, feeling a profound connection to his wife. Inspired, Mukesh decides to continue journeying into the literary world his late wife spent so much time inhabiting.
By falling into other worlds, Mukesh and Aleisha not only form a deep friendship but also better versions of themselves along the way: more resilient, more capable, and more compassionate.
The way we all know that a good book can.
The way this book will make you feel once you've finished.
Discover more about the author: Sara Nisha Adams.
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