Mukesh is a man living in West London, and has lost his sense of direction since the passing of his loving wife, Naina. She loved books, something Mukesh never really thought twice about. When going through her things, he finds a copy of The Time Traveler’s Wife and decides that maybe reading one of Naina’s favourite books will help him feel closer to her and their bookworm granddaughter, Priya. He finds himself at the Harrow Road Library to return the book after reading it and meets the young librarian, Aleisha. Together, they embark on a journey of literature by reading through an anonymous book list that Aleshia found while trying to get into reading more, while she’s stuck at the library all day. Mukesh uses the books to connect with Priya and discover what it was that Naina loved so much about reading, and Aleisha tries to accomplish her goal of being able to give customers some book recommendations, instead of sitting behind the desk on her phone, thinking of how much fun all her friends are having this summer without her. They learn that books are a way to escape from painful realities, and bring joy to the darkest of circumstances. I loved this book because it highlighted some of my favourtie novels such as The Kite Runner and To Kill a Mockingbird. It was also heartwarming to see the friendships formed and families reconnected throughout the novel. I would recommend it to any book lover who enjoys a found family trope, that’s 16 or over. 

A trigger warning for readers; this book contains mentions of suicide and mental health struggles.