But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place-the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer.

So they keep it a secret from their friends and families-in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident.

They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple-until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. Although the pace starts off slow, things pick up in the later pages and reach a satisfying conclusion.Ī quiet and thoughtful look into loneliness, community, and the benefits of reading-suited for true bibliophiles.Įxes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation. The author explores many difficult topics with grace, like mental illness, grief, abandonment, and self-doubt. Told from the perspectives of both Aleisha and Mukesh, as well as a sampling of other characters, the story shows an insightful empathy for difficulties faced at divergent life stages. The author deftly captures the quiet and listless vibe of ill-fated libraries everywhere. Full of references to popular and classic novels, this debut focuses on reading as a means of processing and coping with challenging life events. When Aleisha’s family suffers a devastating event, Aleisha looks to Mukesh to help her pick up the pieces, but he’s not sure he’s the person she needs. Meanwhile, Aleisha begins relying on Mukesh as the only stable adult in her life. It seems this budding relationship is just the thing to save Mukesh from his continued grief over his late wife. When Mukesh returns to tell Aleisha how much he enjoyed Mockingbird, they decide to create an impromptu book club. She also decides to read every book on the list herself, rationalizing that it will help pass the long days in the library. Even so, when she stumbles on a handwritten reading list tucked into a just-returned book, she impulsively uses it as a way to apologize to Mukesh, recommending the first book, To Kill a Mockingbird. She regrets her behavior almost immediately, but she’s more focused on difficulties in her home life, including her absentee father and her mentally fragile mother. As he pushes for a suggestion, she becomes defensive, even rude. When Mukesh, an older man who's recently lost his wife, visits the library seeking a book recommendation, Aleisha has little to offer.

An aging widower and a lonely teenage girl form an unlikely friendship by bonding over books.Īleisha works at the Harrow Road Library in North London not for her love of books, but because she needs the money.

The reading list sara nisha adams