The Reading List

At 17, poised to begin—ambivalently—a career in law, Aleisha takes a summer job at the library and settles down to the serious business of non-living. Indifferent to reading, she sees the quiet, rarely visited library as a perfect place to bury herself. Like Mukesh, Aleisha self-isolates to cope with her grief over the collapse of her family after her father abandons them for a new family. Her brother, who had dreamed of having his own mechanic business, now works long hours at a biscuit factory; her mother, who cannot leave the house, oscillates between catatonia and violent tantrums. Caught up in the stress of her home life, Aleisha is uninterested in forming bonds, and she dismisses Mukesh as an irritating old man on their first meeting.

Aleisha, however, is desperately lonely, just like Mukesh; she instantly regrets her harshness and seeks ways to make up for it. In a moment of serendipity, she finds one of the reading lists, unaware that it was left behind by Mukesh’s late wife. She challenges Mukesh to go through the list with her, which starts them on the path of discovering The Reward of Intergenerational Friendship. Like Mukesh, Aleisha discovers The Transformative Impact of Stories; books allow Aleisha to bond with her mother (and, later, with her love interest, Zac), and they provide an escape for Aleisha, whose life has been devoted to caring for her mother. As she goes through the novels on the list, she warms to reading and begins to emerge from her shell.

Aidan’s death devastates Aleisha. She is overcome by grief; she blames herself for failing to notice Aidan’s warning signs, for escaping into the fantasy of books instead of paying attention to her real life. It is her friendship with Mukesh that prevents her from backsliding into isolation. He advises her that books can be more than just an escape from reality; they can be a way through which one understands the world differently. Mukesh is the one who suggests holding the community open house at the library in Aidan’s honor; Aleisha is initially hesitant, but she agrees, and she is shocked and touched at the massive turnout. The open house, and the book-loving community, teaches her new ways of navigating The Difficult Process of Handling Grief and helps her understand The Importance of Libraries and Bookshops in bringing people together. Though her mother cannot overcome her grief and fear to attend the open house, the event prompts her to admit she wants professional help, which symbolizes the Thomas family’s first steps toward healing.

Aidan is Aleisha’s older brother and the one who encourages her to take the job at the library. Once determined to have his own business repairing cars, Aidan sacrifices his dreams to support his family after the departure of his and Aleisha’s father.

Aidan alone declines to partake in the reading list. In the Prologue, set two years before his death by suicide, Aidan seeks the “magical, bookish wonderland” of the library (1), where he spent his childhood—a time of warm comfort, of happy nostalgia. The Prologue is the first indication of Aidan’s mental state: “He needs to step back from a world where there are scares, twists, turns, but a world where he knows how everything will end” (2). Like many other characters in the book, Aidan struggles to deal with the current state of his life; unlike them, however, he rejects the potential solace of reading. This sets him apart from others in a way that differs from Mukesh and Aleisha’s self-imposed loneliness.

Aidan watches as a patron writes a stack of notes at a table next to him—later, it is clear that this was Naina creating her reading lists. Several of the characters who come across the lists feel as though they are messages specifically meant for them; Aidan feels no such spark of connection, and he leaves the list behind. Thus, Aidan denies himself a chance to discover The Transformative Impact of Stories and the bonds that can be formed through them.

Adams foreshadows Aidan’s impending death by suicide throughout the story. Aleisha notices odd behaviors from her brother: picking up medicine, crying in his room, and so on. When she asks Aidan about his dreams, he tells her only that he wants to take care of her and their mother, giving no indication that he has any plans for his own future. When he is sure that his family can do without his support (Aleisha is interested in dating Zac, she has found joy and made connections through the reading list, and she has begun to bond with their mother and draw her out of her trauma), he sees it is time for his life story to have an end.

From Aidan’s tragic death emerges the strongest representation of community that the Harrow Road Library has seen in many years. The open house that Mukesh suggests revitalizes the library, a place Aidan once loved. It reunites his sister with her love interest and enables both Aleisha and Mukesh to watch as bonds form in real time between book-lovers and non-readers. Aidan’s loss is still keenly felt, but though Aleisha and Leilah have a long way to go on their journey through grief, the novel ends on notes of hope, love, and support.