Book Review: The Reading List

Why do we read? What drives us as individuals to pick up a book and let ourselves get lost in the sea of words before us? What inspires us to want to keep turning each page and dive deeper into the near infinite stories that are out there? For me, a lot of my drive for reading comes from my time at school. Struggling with my English and Literacy skills, the school had signposted me a reading mentor to help me develop these skills further. His name was John and he was the kindest intellectual soul I ever had the fortune to learn from. He didn't only open my eyes to my own capabilities when it came to reading and writing, but he showed me that there's so much value in the books around us. The stories we can get engrossed in have the capability of impacting us in multitudes of ways and we let those experiences further define us. As time has gone by I've never stopped being thankful to John and the world he opened my eyes to. It's this introspective consideration that dawns on me after reading The Reading List, a novel which also does a wonderful job on reflecting why we all can benefit from the vast world of books.

Written by Sara Nisha Adams, The Reading List is a fictional novel which focuses on two central characters living in the Wembley district of London in the UK. Mukesh is a recent widower who is struggling to define his life after the recent passing of his beloved wife who was an avid book reader. After picking up and reading one of her favorite books, Mukesh gets inspired to go out and find more stories to read in hopes he might be able to further explore a hobby his wife loved very much and further develop his relationship with his granddaughter. Aleisha works at the local library and spends most of her time wishing she was anywhere else but Wembley with all the responsibilities and anxieties weighing down on her teenage life. After a chance encounter with Mukesh, Aleisha finds a mysterious reading list tucked away in one of the books at the library and decides to read through the recommendations along with Mukesh. As they read through the list together both of these people find aspects of their own life relating to the books in ways they never could have imagined.

The narrative of this book is incredible on so many fronts. I love the way Sara Nisha Adams is able to not only establish these two distinct characters with there own personal stories but to also find ways to tie their stories together through their engagement with the books they read. The reading list in itself features a collection of notable books any respectable book reader will have picked up at least once but they're not just there for show. These individual books all have context and weight which appropriately influences these characters personal stories in some really natural ways. I love how insightful the book is in balancing the layered dive into the impact books can have with their relatable concepts and commentaries. I do feel the commentary in itself ends up coming off stronger than the personal stories do near the end though. Don't get me wrong Aleisha and Mukesh's personal plots are wonderfully set up, but I don't think they had enough momentum to carry my engagement all on their own without the relevancy of the reading list. The books and their impact on these characters are a far stronger element in light of that and while one is weaker than the other it doesn't necessarily mean the narrative as a whole isn't anything but brilliant to follow along with.

On the matter of pacing and tone, the books does a superb job in utilizing it's 368 page count to establish this insightful story with a great array of emotional context. I found Sara Nisha Adams keeps this books narrative strongly supported through her ability to flesh out the sequences and characters with a lot of real, human complexities. The weight of each of these characters personal lives feels real, there's a true and honest intent to deliver characters who don't feel fictious to our own world. That sense of reality helps the story find even more success when it comes to exploring how each of the books can relate and commentate on our own lives in a very profound manner.

Reading The Reading List has reminded me how much I appreciate the hobby I get to enjoy day in and day out. The books I read may range in quality, but I will never take for granted the ability to experience these stories regardless. If anything this book has made me look back on my own recent reads and consider how much they actually influenced and helped me in my own life. Hell I may even do my own Reading List to share out in the future. Sara Nisha Adams did a superb job here in giving not just a really enjoyable story but a great dive into what makes books and the stories within them so important to each and every one of us.