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A review by angethology
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
2.5
[2.5 stars?]
"The shadows of the library close in behind him; the books read and unread forming a barrier between him and the list. As he steps away from the library, he feels the peace, the silence, slide away from him as he heads toward the lights and sounds of the city he calls home."
This is a slice-of-life story about two main protagonists, old widower Mukesh and 17 year old Aleisha, who find new meaning and purpose, and a bond over reading. Every section focuses on a different book which the characters relate to with certain events happening in their lives — sounds like the perfect plot for bibliophiles, but there are a couple of things that frustrate me about this novel.
A book about books, naturally there's going to be a lot of talk and dialogue about.. Books. But I often feel that half of the novel is inundated with the characters' thoughts about *trying* to read something and asking others what they're reading, to the point where it's quite repetitive. Then there are a few book descriptions/interpretations that don't feel totally accurate (Pride and Prejudice being 19th century smut or a guilty pleasure? And also how does Mukesh know what 'smut' is at his age). It kind of felt like I was reading a discussion by high schoolers after they skimmed through SparkNotes. That tragedy at the end also was too contrived.
Mukesh was a pretty well-rounded character though, and even though I didn't care for Aleisha, I didn't mind that she's unlikeable because she does understandably act her age. I think the book ultimately served its purpose; it's a cozy mushy book with a dose of tragedy and wholesomeness at the end, that feels like a Christmas Hallmark film, which is generally a genre that's always a hit or miss for me.
"The shadows of the library close in behind him; the books read and unread forming a barrier between him and the list. As he steps away from the library, he feels the peace, the silence, slide away from him as he heads toward the lights and sounds of the city he calls home."
This is a slice-of-life story about two main protagonists, old widower Mukesh and 17 year old Aleisha, who find new meaning and purpose, and a bond over reading. Every section focuses on a different book which the characters relate to with certain events happening in their lives — sounds like the perfect plot for bibliophiles, but there are a couple of things that frustrate me about this novel.
A book about books, naturally there's going to be a lot of talk and dialogue about.. Books. But I often feel that half of the novel is inundated with the characters' thoughts about *trying* to read something and asking others what they're reading, to the point where it's quite repetitive. Then there are a few book descriptions/interpretations that don't feel totally accurate (Pride and Prejudice being 19th century smut or a guilty pleasure? And also how does Mukesh know what 'smut' is at his age). It kind of felt like I was reading a discussion by high schoolers after they skimmed through SparkNotes. That tragedy at the end also was too contrived.
Mukesh was a pretty well-rounded character though, and even though I didn't care for Aleisha, I didn't mind that she's unlikeable because she does understandably act her age. I think the book ultimately served its purpose; it's a cozy mushy book with a dose of tragedy and wholesomeness at the end, that feels like a Christmas Hallmark film, which is generally a genre that's always a hit or miss for me.