A Reading List - Sara Nisha Adams

 

An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of library books helps forge an unlikely friendship between two very different people in a London suburb.

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list… hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again. 

At Priya's request, Naina gave back To Wembley, To the people who loved her, the reading list. 

These are all stories of someone forced out of the comfort zone. 

In addition to these books, there are many other books too mentioned here. Most prominent being The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. 

A book on books that has a lasting impact.

Set in Wembley in London with all its variety, colour, cultures, contrasts and contradictions, the still grieving Mukesh lost his beloved wife, Naina, 2 years ago. He has withdrawn into himself, a lonely man ruled by routines, with his protective daughters playing an organising and protective role through the phone although failing to communicate with him, busy with their own lives. Mukesh is not a reader, but Naina was, and when he finds a library copy of The Time Traveler's Wife taken out from the Harrow Road Library, he reads it and finds it a revelation, discovering Naina within it, the story speaks to him about his love for Naina and the heartrending experience of losing her to cancer.

This has Mukesh making his way to the library, where he has a problematic encounter with 17 year old Aleisha, not a reader either, working temporarily at the library on the recommendation of her book loving brother, Aiden. The two of them are bearing the heavy responsibility of caring for their mother, Leilah, round the clock, with no support for her mental health issues. Along with other people in the book, Aleisha discovers a crumpled reading list that begins with Just in case you need it. The list comprises of To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, Life of Pi, The Kite Runner, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, A Suitable Boy and Beloved, a selection that serendipitously I have read. Aleisha reads the books prior to recommending them to Mukesh, leading to the two of developing a close relationship that begins with their discussions over the books, and the surprising impact they make on their lives, with ghosts of the characters appearing in Mukesh's life.

Mukesh becomes far more outgoing, letting in others into his life, getting close to his young granddaughter, Priya, as reading becomes an integral part of his life, feeling closer to Naina as a result. This is a beautiful and enthralling read, totally riveting, paying homage to books, libraries, readers and communities, a life affirming novel amidst the grief, death, loneliness and challenging circumstances that the characters find themselves in. I would like to suggest that anyone who has plans to read any of the books on the reading list that they do so before reading this, as there are major spoilers in it. I highly recommend this incredible debut to any and every reader.  

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The act to 'Save our Libraries' is indeed a great initiative and stress buster. 

That line about steeping into someone elses skin. Dean telling her daughter Aleisha that things die all the time, It's not a big deal. Aiden, and his special plate with Peter Rabbit's ever smiling face and shards of it was something never expected. 

Books they have the power to heal, and at times, we do wonder, does it take us away from the real life?

Books find us at the right time, give us comfort when needed, give us escape, an opportunity to live beyond our life, opportunity to love more powerfully, a chance to open up and let people in. 

And like most of the book lovers thoughts, the book just before Acknowledgements ends with:

"These books found me at just the right time in my life. I can remember each of them so vividly, I remember the characters as though they were friends, sometimes even family. I can remember exactly where I was and how I felt when I turned that final page. They've stayed with me ever since.