The Library- Book Review

The Library by Bella Osborne 

Publication Date: 2nd Sep 2021
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

3.8 Stars 

Tom is a shy, introverted 16 years old with confidence issues. He prefers being invisible and not noticed by anyone as he goes about his day-to-day work (at school and outside). His relationship with his drunkard father is strained, and Tom spends more time with his Xbox and memories of his dead mother. 

Maggie is a 72 years old widow with a fixed routine. She is happy or so convinced herself. She has a farm to run and a book club to attend. Idle time is the bane of her life, and Maggie finds ways to take up tasks that swallow hours of her day. 

Tom’s subsequent entry into the village’s library and a chance meeting with Maggie change both their lives. How can a 16yo teen and a 72yo woman become friends? But they do in their own unique way. The news of the library being forcefully closed scares them and a few others who love the library. 

They vow to find a way to prevent the library from being closed. As they continue the fight, Maggie and Tom help each other with their lives. 

The story is narrated in dual POV in alternate chapters. Tom’s is in the first person, while Maggie’s goes in the third person. This helped see the story from both perspectives. 

Though the title suggests that the book has more to do with the library, it uses the old village library more as a connecting factor. The book is about Tom and Maggie becoming friends and tackling the issues in their lives. It’s about loneliness, friendship, self-confidence, and more. 

While some of it was interesting and touching to read, it felt as if the themes were used to create a plausible situation for the lead characters. In a way, alcohol addiction was dealt with slightly better than bullying. This led to the library almost going out of focus in the second half. Of course, the story comes back on track. But somehow, it felt like too many topics were being packed into the story, and neither of them got the space they deserve. 

That said, the overall story is sweet and heartwarming. As a fan of happy endings, I love how this ended (though it does come across as a neatly tied package). Still, a happy ending makes the book a happy one, at least for me. 

Maggie is a fab character, and I was rooting for her throughout the story. Who wouldn’t want someone like her on their side? Tom’s character arc is neat and promising. He’s still a teen, but a better one for sure. Tom’s father and Farah are intriguing, though they could have had a better character arc. Others characters have potential but not enough space. 

Surprisingly, yoga plays a not-so-tiny role in the book. There is mention of meditation, chanting, and inner self. But then, it felt more like any other aerobics session. The more I read, the more I understand how yoga has been alienated and distanced from its roots in Hinduism and is treated as some sort of exotic form of exercise. It’s an intense process of spiritual alignment and needs to be treated with more respect than a simple twisting of arms and legs to increase strength. 

The book takes its own sweet time to progress in the beginning. It’s almost 400 pages, and the start is quite slow. It picks up pace later on only to go off track with other themes in focus. All said and done, the author managed to rein it in during the last 20% of the book. 

To sum up, The Library is a book about friendship between two unlikely people and how a place like a library can bring people together. The reference to various books was nice to read. Good that I have most of them on my TBR. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Aria & Aries. 

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