The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

May 6, 2019
In this love letter to book nerds, Waxman (The Garden of Small Beginnings) introduces the extraordinary introvert Nina Hill. Nina, who grew up on the east side of L.A. in Larchmont, Calif., has never wanted to leave her hometown. She loves her apartment, with its shelves of books; her cat; and her job as a clerk at a book shop. Filling her time with trivia nights, movies, book club, yoga class, and, of course, reading, she feels she has the perfect life. Then, one day at work, a lawyer shows up and tells her of the death of the father she never knew and the existence of his huge extended family. As Nina gets to know her newfound relatives, who all live in Southern California, she also notices a handsome and charming trivia rival, Tom, who seems to be taking an equal interest in Nina. With witty dialogue and a running sarcastic inner monologue (“Moms of a certain age know dozens of people through various channels, so they have to perform this human form of canine butt sniffing all the goddamn time”), Waxman brings Nina to vibrant life as she upends her introverted routine and become part of the family. Fans of Jojo Moyes will love this.

There's a sweet storytelling air to Emily Rankin's portrayal of Nina, whose book-obsessed life is thrown into disarray by the news that the father she never knew has died. This development also involves her introduction to several new family members. As the will reading approaches and stress heightens, Nina contemplates how to make room for family and her new love interest. The book flies by with its comfortable pace and host of characters. The imagined dialogue of Nina's cat is delivered with a posh Brit accent. Her Australian mother's accent softens with time and travel, and there are a passionate, fast-speaking nephew, a yelling niece, and a grieving precocious great-niece. Nina herself is rapid-fire confident during trivia competitions but blunt and awkward in social situations. A.L.C. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine