Mike Gayle - The Museum of Ordinary People
5 ⭐
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction
Pages: 352
Format: eARC on NetGalley
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Date Published: 7th July 2022
Big Thank You to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley UK for a copy of eARC to read and review!
Book Blurb:
Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is
about to do the hardest thing she's ever done: empty her childhood home so that
it can be sold.
But when in the process Jess stumbles across the mysterious
Alex, together they become custodians of a strange archive of letters,
photographs, curios and collections known as The Museum of Ordinary People.
As they begin to delve into the history of the objects in
their care, Alex and Jess not only unravel heartbreaking stories that span
generations and continents but also unearth long-buried secrets that lie much
closer to home.
Inspired by a box of mementos found abandoned in a skip
following a house clearance, The Museum of Ordinary People is a
thought-provoking and poignant story of memory, grief, loss and the things we
leave behind.
My Review:
I just love Mike Gayle’s writing.
Been reading his books for years and he did it again! I was instantly hooked by
The Museum of Ordinary People! It is so beautifully written, with well-developed
and lovable characters, and with a plot that just plays with all of your heartstrings
and feelings.
The story follows Jess, who is dealing
with the sudden loss of her mother, whom she was really close to and loves
unconditionally. On top of dealing with a spectrum of feelings including grief,
she also has to deal with the practicalities, such as trying to sell mum’s
house, finding a new home for mum’s belongings and of course saying goodbye to
her childhood home.
Whilst trying to rehome some of her
mother’s belongings she comes across a Museum of Ordinary People owned by
mysterious Alex. This museum is not a very well-known space in London, where people
bring very ordinary objects that they can’t bear to throw away because those belongings
mean the world to them but they don’t have anywhere to store these possessions.
Jess always had a dream to work in a museum, so she takes a step to fulfil this
dream by curating and making The Museum of Ordinary People known to a wider
public so they can appreciate its beauty, whilst trying to juggle her current
job, relationship, friendships and the loss of a loved one.
I really liked that this book
explores ordinary experiences and feelings of loss and grief. Jess’s feelings are
so raw and so real, as well as her memories of her mother, whilst Jess goes
about her everyday life, are so relatable if you lose a loved one. Also, loved
how Gayle portrays how different people deal with loss. For example, how Alex
is dealing with his loss after a long time has passed in comparison to Jess,
whose loss is still fresh. It is really nice to see this being explored.
In terms of characters, I adored
Alex's character, as even though he had a fair share of losses in life and his own
demons to overcome, he is such a kind, loving and caring person. The way he
helps Jess, supports her all the way through with the museum and believes in
her every step of the way was so kind and adorable to read. I also loved the
respect and love that both of them shared with each other.
Each character was unique in
their own way and very well developed, each adding something special to the story.
I love the progression and development of Jess, Alex, Guy and even some of the
second plan characters throughout this book. It made the story very
captivating, uplifting and most of all, real.
Also, this book is not only about
dealing with loss and grief. This story also explores themes of not giving up
on your dreams, not giving up on your passion, believing in yourself and others,
as well as not settling for second best and listening to your gut and heart. I
think the main theme is actually finding a purpose in life again when you think
your world is crumbling after you lose your loved one.
Overall: Mike Gayle’s books are
just masterpieces of exploring human feelings and emotions, and The Museum of
Ordinary People is not an exception. Beautifully written, captivating and
uplifting story, lovable characters and exploration of such important themes of
belonging, loss, grief, dreams and memories of loved ones. Absolutely adored
this book and if I could I would give it 1000 stars to it. I could re-read this
book over and over again and still find new things and feel all the emotions. A
MUST HAVE book on everyone’s bookshelf!
About the Author:
Mike Gayle was born and raised in Birmingham. After
graduating from Salford University with a degree in Sociology Mike moved to
London with ambitions of becoming a music journalist. This didn't happen
however and following a slight detour in his five-year plan he ended up as an
agony uncle for teenage girls' magazine Bliss before becoming Features Editor
on the now much missed Just Seventeen. Since those early days Mike has written
for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Cosmopolitan.
Mike became a full time novelist in 1997 following the
publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend,
which was hailed by The Independent as 'Full of belly laughs and painfully
acute observations,' and by The Times as 'A funny, frank account of a hopeless
romantic.'
To date Mike is the author of twelve novels including Mr
Commitment, Turning Thirty and Wish You Were Here. His books have been
translated into over thirty languages.
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