Book: Paper Moon
Author: Rehana Munir
Pages: 312
Publisher: Harper Collins
How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 days
Plot Summary: BOOKS. BOMBAY. ROMANCE.
When her estranged father passes away, Fiza, fresh out of college, discovers that he has left her a tidy sum in the hope that she will open a bookshop... Overnight, Fiza's placid life is thrown into a whirl of decor decisions and book-buying sprees, unconventional staff and colourful patrons, small pleasures and little heartbreaks, as the store - Paper Moon - begins to take shape in a charming, old Bandra mansion. To top it all, she is being wooed by Iqbal, a mysterious customer who frequents the shop, and Dhruv, her ex-boyfriend, her feelings for whom are still confused. Can Fiza take charge of her life, reconcile with the past, and reach for everything that is hers?
Things I Liked:
1. This book had me at hello. And what I mean by that is that the very premise of this book had my interest peaked! I mean..Bombay..Books...Bandra and Bookshops. This book seems to be written for me..or it defiently felt that way.
2. Books about books are always fun and books about bookshops..are just better. This one had strong You've Got Mail vibes, what with a girl running a bookshop and a hint of romance in the air. And I can never ever pass up anything remotely resembling my favourite film.
3. The time period in which this book is set is incredibly special to me. The early 2000s in which this book is set and the place- Bandra is deeply nostalgic and familiar to me. So this entire book felt like a hug and an easy way to time travel back to a time I was happy.
4. The book is well written and the characters all well fleshed out and perfectly human. No one in this is perfect, which was refreshing and real. Everyone from Fiza to her quirky mother, the people that end up working in the bookshop, the kind coconut seller and even the men (love interests) in the book are all very crafted.
5. Fiza..she was perfectly written. She acts her age and her post-college ennui was just so relatable. I felt the same way, after 5 years in an incredible college stepping into university was just..underwhelming. Even her running of the bookshop and going about setting things up and dealing with these sudden adult responsibilities made her seem like someone you'd know in real life and made you root for her.
6. As bookworms, we all love all things books. Books themselves, bookish merch, bookmarks and of course bookshops. Of course, now we (most of us) buy our books online, it's sad but true. It's just how the world is shaping up now. But the magic and joy of bookshops is unparalleled. The sheer joy of walking into a bookshop, walking amongst the shelves, finding a hidden gem, spending hours slowly browsing the shelves...that is magic right there. So it was so wonderful to see behind the curtain, if you will, to see how things work behind the scenes and how much work/effort and heart goes into the book shop business.
7. I liked that while there was a hint of love and romance in this book, it wasn't an all out romcom. There was so much more to this story. It's a coming of age tale, a story about family, of growing up, making choices and forming new equations.
Things I Didn't Like:
Well, for most part this was a delightful read. But if I had to list one thing I didn't like about this book then it would have to be the men. The leading men, if you will. Dhruv and Iqbal were both rather meh. At least Iqbal was a little enigmatic and mysterious...but still. I wasn't a fan of either of them.
Rating: 4/5
This was such a fun read. I enjoyed it immensely. It made me nostalgic and made me want to run to a bookshop immediately and do some maniacal book buying.
Thank you Harper Collins for my gifted copy.
All opinions and thoughts are mine.
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