‘The Library of Borrowed Hearts’ book review: A book will make your heart ache

Most readers tend to love books about books, which is probably why there have been so many of those coming out in recent times. I liked them too. Till it all got a bit much. They feel weirdly the same, with different character names and settings. I can probably read one or two every now and then but I’m not like my friends who scoop these books up the moment they come across one.

I didn’t even read the blurb of ‘The Lonely Hearts Book Club’ by Lucy Gilmore. At that time, I wanted nothing to do with book clubs. However, I recently picked up her second novel ‘The Library of Borrowed Hearts’ as nothing else caught my interest and I needed a new book to read. “Two young lovers. Sixty long years. One bookish mystery worth solving” read the blurb. I thought it would be a lighthearted novel that I could DNF if the story didn’t appeal to me. But I devoured the book in two days. It was such a fabulous plot. It alternates between the present day and the 1960, making it charming and intriguing.

Chloe Sampson works at the library. She’s struggling to make ends meet. She has three younger siblings to look after, since their mother has left them. Then she comes across a rare book at the library when they are in the process of culling old books. Her cranky neighbor—who never gives back her brother’s frisbees when they inevitably land up in his yard—offers to buy it for an exorbitant sum. Chloe is surprised and inspects the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins—between two lovers from back in the day when the book was new.

She can’t resist following the clues and, that way, one book leads to another. Soon, Chloe finds herself wondering what happened to the two lovers who corresponded through books. What does it have to do with her curmudgeon old neighbor? Why has he suddenly become friendly with her siblings? Chloe is looking for answers while also trying to navigate life to the best of her ability. She finds herself in the middle of a lot of real-life drama and heartbreak.

The book can be slotted as romance but there’s a lot more to it. It deals with dysfunctional families and its consequences on children, friendship, and aging. The romance isn’t run-of-the-mill either. There’s a subtlety to it that makes it deep and meaningful. Jasper and Catherine were young but their relationship wasn’t frivolous. They truly cared about each other and were willing to make sacrifices if that meant the other would be happy. The writing is gorgeous with a lot of one-liners and impactful dialogues and passages. Though there is a lot of random advice, none of it comes across as preachy. All of it fits seamlessly into the plot.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts, that is set in two different timelines, is a beautiful story that I wished were longer. Don’t get me wrong, the book wraps up nicely but I wanted to know more about Chloe and her siblings. The story ends on a hopeful note but I would have appreciated an epilogue to find out what happens to Chloe, Jasper, and Catherine in the future. I can imagine it would have been nice to know the author’s version of the story. If I were to confess that I’m going to the bookstore this weekend to buy Gilmore’s The Lonely Hearts Book Club, would that tell you just how much I loved The Library of Borrowed Hearts?

The Library of Borrowed Hearts

Lucy Gilmore

Published: 2024

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Pages: 358, Paperback