‘The Reading List’ book review: Simple and comforting

I believe there’s a right time and place for every book. Not all books resonate with you all the time. ‘The Reading List’ by Sara Nisha Adams reiterated that sentiment. It was a lovely book. The plot was simple and comforting. But I would have probably enjoyed it a lot more if I had read it, say, before the pandemic. By the time I came across the book (just a few weeks ago), I had already read similar stories. There was nothing new in it.

But I’d recommend The Reading List to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming tale of how books can change your life. The story is partly inspired by the author’s grandfather, who found a connection with his granddaughter through books. Set in Wembley in London, The Reading List is the story of two individuals—80-year-old Mukesh Patel, a widower, and 17-year-old Aleisha, who works part-time at the local library.

Mukesh is mourning his wife, Naina. His three daughters take care of him but there’s a hole in his heart that just won’t go away. He’s lonely and, at times, miserable. Naina was a voracious reader, often asking Mukesh to keep quiet because she was reading. When he stumbles upon a copy of Audrey Niffenegger’s ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ that his wife didn’t get to return to the library, he sits down to read it. He doesn’t expect to get so engrossed in the story. Reading it makes him feel like Naina is around.

When he finishes it, he goes to the library to return it where he meets Aleisha. He’s also hoping to read other books so that he has something to talk about with his granddaughter who, like his wife, loves to read. But Aleisha is unhelpful and Mukesh runs away. Aleisha, on the other hand, is stuck at the library. She never really wanted to work there but her brother, Aiden, recommended it and she couldn’t say no. She’s trying to escape a problematic mother and would do anything to get a few hours away from home.

Then, she discovers a crumpled reading list tucked away in one of the library books and she starts reading the books on them as well as recommending them to Mukesh when he eventually returns. From Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to Vikram Seth’s ‘A Suitable Boy’, the octogenarian and the teenager go on a journey of self-discovery while forming an unlikely book club of two.

I found the plot to be slightly stretched because I could see where it was going. Apart from that, I enjoyed the book as it reinforced the power of reading and reminded me of some of the reasons why I love books. The book is peppered with references to other books—some of which I have already read and some that I haven’t but they are now all on my reading list. As characters, Mukesh and Aleisha feel a bit cliché but they remind us that the need for connection is a constant across generations.

Fiction

The Reading List

Sara Nisha Adams

Published: 2021

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 425, Paperback