“The Forgotten Book Club” by Kate Storey is a beautiful little novel about books, connections and friendships. The characters have layers to their personalities and lives, and it was a joy to read each chapter and learn more about them. Several of the book club members are dealing with grief or loneliness and mental health is also a strong theme. (Mid-novel, the ADHD topic became a little too emphatic, but only for a short few chapters.)
Grace lost her husband, Frank, to a heart attack a year ago and is still struggling with his absence. She is lonely and a little lost. Her daughter, Rosie and grandson, Jude are encouraging her to get out into the world more and to make some friends. Grace discovers Frank’s old “silent” book club and bit by bit, the club changes her perspective. The book club members are a diverse group and are very likeable. There are many references to actual novels, which I found interesting – I even wrote down a few that I want to read in the future.
“The Forgotten Book Club” is the perfect novel for a book club – lots of discussion topics! Even if you aren’t in a book club, this novel is an interesting and uplifting read!