Author: Libby Page
This Book Made Me Think of You is a new book by Libby Page, the author of several books, two of which I absolutely loved, The Island Home and The 24-Hour Café. Because of those two books, I keep buying Page’s books, hoping she will repeat the sentiment she created in these two novels that spoke to me personally. In this new book, Page draws inspiration from the P.S. I Love You film but converts that story into a bookish one. Like in a film where Holly Kennedy (Hillary Swank) gets letters from her deceased husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) telling her to celebrate herself, get out, go to Ireland, get rid of his clothes, go on adventures, re-engage with her friends, and love again, in almost exactly the same way, Page takes us on a story of grieving by introducing Tilly Nightingale whose husband Joe leaves 12 books for her before his death to a bookseller. Through 12 books and 12 letters, she is instructed to do almost exactly the same stuff as Gerry told Holly in the film. For example, Tilly also gets her first book with a letter on her birthday, and she starts a 12-month story of books, letters, and adventures that take Tilly to running a half-marathon, trips to Paris, Scotland, and Italy, and also getting rid of Joe’s stuff and loving again. In that sense, Page essentially converts the narrative structure of P.S. I Love You into a literary form: the letters that guide Holly’s recovery in the film are replaced by books that guide Tilly’s emotional journey.
I appreciate the bookish version of P.S. I Love You (I love that film), but this felt really too similar and thus lacked originality. Also, while I love books about books, This Book Made Me Think of You is not exactly a book about books because the story is centered on a character, Tilly, and her grief. Bookish books are usually about books bringing people together and forming communities, like a fantastic series of bookish books by Stephanie Butland, who has built what I call ‘a community of books’ (see here). In recent years, novels about books and bookshops have indeed become a recognizable literary trend. These stories typically portray books as social objects that bring people together and create communities of readers. Bookshops, libraries, and reading groups become spaces where friendships are formed, and lives change through literature. This Book Made Me Think of You touches on this idea through its use of books as emotional guides for Tilly, but the novel ultimately focuses more on personal grief and romance than on the collective culture of reading that characterizes many truly bookish novels.
This Book Made Me Think of You is thus more of a rom-com, which was my biggest disappointment because I normally like reading Page’s books because of her focus on friendships and communities. There is an underlying romance in this book, which I did not like, not because it was not well-written, but because I simply do not like romance books. To be fair, this is probably the best romance book I have ever read because the author has not attempted to insult my intelligence by creating too many dramatic twists with a predictable outcome. The romance is developing underneath the story focused on grieving because both Tilly and the bookshop owner are grieving and book lovers, which connects them and creates a deep understanding of one another (this is not a spoiler; it is obvious the romance is about these two from the start, as with all romance books, which is why I don’t read that genre).
From a bookish perspective, This Book Made Me Think of You focuses on the healing power of books and stories, and how books can help people recover from loss. This was beautifully written, and Tilly’s grief was so palpable at times that I wondered whether the author is just talented or whether something horrible happened to her, which made her describe her feelings. I even read the acknowledgments section to see if she says this is a true story, but she doesn’t, so hopefully, good writing about grief was just a result of talent. The book is indeed about grief and love that continues after death, as well as rediscovering life after tragedy, including guilt after starting to feel something for someone new. This was excellently written.
I was personally disappointed with this book because I do not like the romance genre and did not expect this from Libby Page. However, readers of romance will likely adore this book because it is certainly better written than a general romance genre (and like most romance books, some chapters in this book describing travel lack details and feel underdeveloped, particularly the campaign trip to Scotland). Those like me, who associate Libby Page with books about friendship and communities, might find this book somewhat surprising.
Perhaps, this book is ultimately a reminder that readers often return to authors in search of a particular emotional atmosphere, for me, that would be The Island Home and The 24-Hour Café by Libby Page. Sometimes we find it again, and sometimes the author has simply moved in a different direction.
If you love romance, this is a book for you. But if you like bookish books that are about the power of books to create communities and friendships but stay away from romance, then read Stephanie Butland.
Thank you for reading!