The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

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Author: Abbi Waxman
Acquired in: April 2021


I feel I have finally met my book persona in Nina Hill, the namesake of Abbi Waxman’s utterly satisfying book. Apart from the flaming red hair, I would say that I just met a probable adult version of me. If I'm going to end up like Nina, I beg your pardon while I wipe away a happy tear or two. 

Rather than giving an impersonal review of this book, I would like to give you an insight into how the story resonated with me. From her partiality to beautiful book covers to “She enjoyed people—she really did—she just needed to take them in homoeopathic doses; a little of the poison was the cure”- this is the closest likeness you will ever find of me. There might be hundreds of people out there who felt the same after reading this book and I feel at peace thinking that there are others like me.

Her love story with books is maybe how it is with readers everywhere. Not obsessive, but a happy friendship; something steady to draw strength from. Nina’s mother is a famous photographer; while she loved her daughter, she loved her job a lot too. Nina spent her early years jet-setting around the world, finally settling in California with a loving nanny. She never knew her dad (she was better off without, according to her mom) and didn’t feel too bad about it. Throwing a spanner into the works of a perfect life revolving around books, a solicitor turns up one fine day, opening the door to a family she never knew existed. As her father tries to make amends from the grave, Nina finds that she needs to step out of her safe zone to adjust to her new normal, much as she dislikes upheavals of her ordered life. 

Nina cannot be written off as an introvert; she has meaningful relationships with many people and takes part in team efforts. This is just like me; I need to be around people as I can’t stand absolute isolation, but I cannot be as peppy as my other good friends. However, unlike Nina, I don’t have anxiety that warrants medical help, but I find it difficult to make small talk and mingle. You might find me boring, but that's the way I am.

This book shows you that a bibliophile's life is far from boring, but sometimes, change is good. I loved watching Nina learn to love as an adult when she had so little of it as a child. To be precise, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is about a bookstore employee who lived for books and how she made her peace with unwelcome change. But in this unassuming storyline, I found myself too.



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