This Season of Reading

I have been eagerly awaiting Beth O’Leary’s new novel. Her first book, The Flatshare, was a favorite the summer it came out, and while The Switch was different, it was just as fun. 

Leena Cotton has just had a panic attack at her high-profile job and wrecked an important presentation, earning herself a two-month sabbatical. Meanwhile her grandmother Eileen, whose husband has left her, is searching for new love without much luck in her tiny town. The two decide to change places, giving Leena the quiet of small-town life to recover, and Eileen the excitement of London to find love. But solutions are never as simple as they seem.

I think one of the things I enjoyed about this story was Eileen’s thorough acceptance of who she is. At 79, she is completely herself and at home in what she enjoys and the things that give her life, without being stuck in them. She is always up for new adventure, and entering the world of online dating in London as well as organizing a social club for the disconnected and lonely people in her granddaughter’s London neighborhood are two of them. I am still a decent way from 79, but it’s one of the things I’m appreciating about each new year--the way that it’s a little easier to recognize who I want to be, the way other voices fade a little more every year, the way I can start to see the stars shine through.

But I also liked the way Eileen and Leena took care of each other and pushed each other to take care of others. Their circle was sweet and necessary but not exclusive, and each expected the other to be vibrant in whatever community she currently was. Right now, with the start of virtual school upon us, I feel more disconnected than ever, so I was ready for a novel that looked at what it means to be at home in a community. 

The Switch was a perfect example of the kind of novel to which I’ve found myself returning again and again over the last six months. It’s sweet and charming and grounded in things I value, like family and connection. It was predictable, but filled with characters whom it was easy to like. It was happy, and even when things fell apart, I didn’t feel stressed, because I knew they’d be put back together. 

I usually read in a variety of genres, but I’ve found this one to be very comforting in a season of uncertainty, when everything often feels very sad. I can’t handle heavy literary fiction right now, and I don’t need something else that’s filled with suspense. I need something to hold onto that feels like the things I have always loved, that feels like home. Books like The Switch are reminding me of happiness in a season when I really need some peace. 

If you’re feeling this way too, this may be a book for you.

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