The Book that Matters Most
Fiction
W. W. Norton & Company
August 9, 2016
Advanced Reader Copy
358
Publisher via BEA
Ava’s twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group’s goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Ava rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood—one that helped her through the traumas of the untimely deaths of her sister and mother. Alternating with Ava’s story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man. Ava’s mission to find that book and its enigmatic author takes her on a quest that unravels the secrets of her past and offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives.
My review:
3.5 stars
The premise for this book deserves all the accolades in the world from me. A bookclub decides to choose a book each month for a year that is a defining book for each of its members. During the course of the book, the reader gets to see what book each member chose, and why that book mattered the most to them. I loved this idea, and I loved all the parts in the book that related to this (even if I hadn't read all the books chosen). I so wanted to stay with the book club members and find out more about their lives, but the book, while it does come back to the meetings every month, takes a different path. The main character decides to choose a book from her childhood that she can no longer find anywhere, leading to a mystery of sorts. Concurrently, the daughter of the main character has her own problems while living in France, which I felt was part of the book to help facilitate the end. Both of these stories did not inspire me the way the book club stories did, and the ending was so tied up and rosy that it felt ridiculous. This was a fast read, and the pacing was good. While the writing will not win any literary praise, it was readable and relatable.
I would recommend this book for the book club theme, which I felt was its strong point. The parts that I didn't enjoy as much, while lowering my overall review, would not keep me from recommending it as a light, quick read that will get you thinking:
What book would I choose as the book that matters most to me?
I'm going to go with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which was the book I read in 8th grade that started me on my path to loving books! What about you?
Oh, too bad... the premise is great, but the book doesn't deliver on what you (and I) would expect from it.
I love A Tree Grows in Brooklyn also, and To Kill A Mockingbird, Black Beauty, and Gone With the Wind because these are all books that my mom and I read and talked about together, so I treasure them for that sole reason now that she's passed. Of course it helps that I was born in Brooklyn, lol 🙂 and my mom did too. She grew up poor, and related to the story in some ways. Good choice!