The Lonely Book - Meg Grehan - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Meg Grehan

GENRE: Middle-grade Novel-in-verse.

RATING: 3.75 stars

In a Nutshell: An OwnVoices novel-in-verse, about a lonely book, a magical bookshop, and some characters who learn how to accept themselves for what they are. One of the rare middle-grade books to have a non-binary person in the main characters. Great story, decent format.

Story Synopsis:

Annie lives with her two mums and her elder sister Charlotte above a bookshop that her mums run together. Every morning when they open the shop, there is a stack of books on the counter. Throughout the day, when visitors come to the shop looking for a book, the right book is always waiting for them in that pile left magically by the bookshop. However, one day, a book from the pile is left unclaimed, and this upsets the bookshop, which then starts misbehaving. Annie’s whole family is at a loss about what to do. Adding to the complications is Charlotte’s increased reclusiveness, her mums’ financial worries, and Annie’s own selective mutism. How will the family resolve their issues and make the bookshop happy again?

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Annie.

Bookish Yays:

😍 The representation is spot on, not surprising from an OwnVoices queer author. Annie’s two mothers have been written in a realistic way. What I especially loved is how there are no needless explanations about why she has two mums. She just has, and that’s that! True inclusivity means that such situations are to be considered natural and don’t need elaborations.

😍 The bond across the four characters in the family is clearly visible, even when some of them are keeping secrets. Their growth as the story progresses is not just at the individual level but also as a family.

😍 You would have surely heard Stephen King’s quote, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” In this story, it is the bookshop that has a uniquely portable magic! What reader wouldn’t love a magical bookshop, even one that is temperamental? I loved the tantrums the bookshop throws when any reader doesn’t claim its suggested book, though I can also see why this was upsetting to the family. As the source of the magic isn’t explained, it adds to the wonder of the story by staying “magic’ till the end.

😍 The themes highlighted in the story are outstanding, and so relevant in today’s world. Through the four characters, we get to see discussions on gender identity, selective mutism, mental health, sign language, same-sex parents (and indirectly, Sapphic relationships), and financial pressure on adults. It also explores the idea of accepting ourselves as we are than striving to be what we are expected to be, and the role of familial support and love in the journey of self-acceptance. For a middle-grade book, it sure aims high, and delivers as well.

😍 Through the blurb, we know that one character is non-binary. However, our narrator is Annie, and she isn’t the non-binary character. This makes for an unusual LGBTQ+ book, because we see the gender identity struggles through the eyes of a cis person. Annie learns more about genders and gender identities as the story moves ahead, and the readers learn along with her. I love this “outside view” of the gender struggle because the book then becomes helpful not only to readers who are coming to terms with their gender identity, but also to cis readers who want to understand the struggles of non-binary people. It also shows cis readers a great way of becoming a gender rights ally.

😍 The author’s manner of explaining genders beyond the binary is impeccable. So simple, and yet so apt! Perfect for the target readership.

😍 At just a little more than 150 pages, and because of the verse-style writing, the book is quick in pace and can be completed in a sitting.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

😐 While the target reader of the “lonely book’ is a mystery for a great part of the book, it isn’t difficult to figure out whom it is meant for. So we need to wait a long time for Annie to figure out the intended recipient. As such, the suspense angle of the book doesn’t deliver much. However, the book isn’t marketed as a mystery, so I suppose this shouldn’t be a big problem, especially for little readers.

😐 The blurb makes it sound like the book is about a non-binary character. But the first half of the story provides just a generic plot. The gender identity aspect comes up only around the midway mark. While the discussion is still nicely handled, I would have preferred more of it.

😐 The author’s interview at the end is enlightening about her writing choices in this book. However, the interview format and the content make it more suitable for older readers than for middle graders. Perhaps it would be helpful to parents/teachers before discussing this book with children.

Bookish Nays:

😒 I admit I picked this up knowing that it is a novel-in-verse. I am not at all fond of poetry, but the themes were so strong that I couldn’t resist it. That said, the “poetic content” of the book appeared minimal to my eyes. (Again, reminding you that I am an absolutely unskilled purveyor of poetry.) The text looked more like broken sentences to me, and with a lot of repetition, which might have been deliberate for poetic effect but it sure didn’t work on me. I read the book as if it were prose, and this got me through without any issues. But I am not sure how many middle-graders would actually appreciate the poetic elements of the story.

😒 I always prefer knowing the main characters’ ages, but this preference becomes a necessity in children’s fiction. Middle-graders range from ages 8 to 12, but there is a vast difference in the processing capabilities of an eight-year-old and a twelve-year-old. Annie’s age is thus vital to the storyline, but it is never mentioned or hinted at. All we know is that she is younger than Charlotte, who is sixteen.

(I discussed her possible age with my friend and fellow reviewer Srivalli, who had also read this book. She guessed Annie to be about 8 while I had estimated her to be around 12. This highlights the vagueness of the text regarding her age. Child characters must have their ages clearly specified.)

😒 Why does the book blurb on Goodreads and Amazon reveal the entire story, from start to end, leaving no suspense at all? Surely there should be something left for the readers to discover on their own!

Overall, this is a great book for the theme and the gender identity discussion, all of which sound authentic and simple for young readers. I wish the format of the book had not been verse so that more children (and guardians) would have been motivated to pick it up. Nevertheless, the themes are important enough to make this work a solid recommendation for middle graders. The magical bookshop is a bonus.

My thanks to Little Island Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Lonely Book”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.