Author: Sara Nisha Adams
The Reading List is the first and most absolutely beautiful book by British author Sara Nisha Adams. The book was one of those Amazon algorithm recommendations, and once again, the algorithm did not betray me because I absolutely loved this book.
The Reading List centres on books, their transformative and healing power, and their ability to bring people together. The book is also about grieving and life’s hardships and the ability of books to bring people together and make them feel better because when you go to an imaginary world, it distracts you and helps you heal.
Mukesh is grieving his beloved wife, who died of cancer. His wife loved books, and when he finds a Time Traveller’s Wife, the last book she read before she died, and the one she read many times before, he reads it to feel closer to her. Then he decides he should go to the library she loved to return the book, and borrow something else, since the Time Traveller’s wife gave him so much comfort. Along the way, he forms an unusual friendship with Aleisha, a librarian who works in the library as a summer job. She is not grieving at the time, but she lives with her mom and brother, and we learn quickly that her mom has a mental health condition, which often keeps her in the house in deep, clinical depression and agoraphobia. She and her brother, Aidan, look after her, which is too much for kids to cope with, as because of guarding their mother, they hardly have a life of their own and have to sacrifice so much. The suffering they experience is everything but suitable for their age, and you wonder what kind of a bloody society allows kids to suffer this much without reporting it to social services. We know these things happen in real life when children are forced to look after their parents either through abuse and enmeshment or because of illnesses and addictions. Aleisha then also discovers the power of books through a randomly found reading list. Since she was not a reader before, she recommends Mukesh, books from the list, and then rushes to read them herself so they can talk about it and so she can appear to be knowledgeable. Books create a friendship, and when a grievance hits her, Mukesh is there for her as a friend, poignantly giving her the Time Traveller’s Wife book that gave him comfort. Aleisha also uses books from the reading list to read to her mother, comfort her, and build a relationship with her. Mukesh, on the other hand, builds a closer relationship with his granddaughter, Priya, and forms a friendship with Aleisha, thanks to books and going to the library.
Throughout the Reading List, we learn of other people who have found the same reading list and discovered or rediscovered books, which provided them with comfort and, in many cases, the friendships they needed. What is also beautiful about this book is that the story is centred in a multicultural area of Wembley and characters are of diverse origin or mixed origin. We learn a lot about Indian culture through Mukesh’s story, and also about Indian food. I got so into it that I have eaten Indian food twice here since I read this book. I also found out that I have been offered Indian food too often in the UK, which resulted in a reluctance to eat it, and for years, I claimed that I believe in the multiple universe theory but that in none of them do I ever say, oh, love me some Indian food. Well, I stand corrected. The same thing is now happening with Mexican food in the US. It is offered too often, and I no longer enjoy it, but I discovered I have a passion for Indian food, thanks to this beautiful book. I also purchased some books from the Reading List and will be reading them. Firstly, the Time Traveller’s Wife but then also others. A final thought about this wonderful book is that each chapter is structured around the book from the reading list, and the story of the book is used to console and encourage characters in the Reading List to keep going, which was nicely written, and it was a truly original idea.
The author, at the end of the Reading List, gives us her reading list, so I also wrote mine, which will likely evolve over time, but here is what I have for now: books that meant something to me,
One Day, David Nicholls
The Island Home, Libby Page
24-Hour Café, Libby Page
Found in a Bookshop, Stephanie Butland
The Garden of Memories, Amanda James
Sweet Sorrow, David Nicholls
Station 11, Emily St. John Mandel
You are Here, David Nicholls
Where the crawdads sing, Delia Owens
The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams