The roller coaster ride of life that this book takes you on is exquisite. It’s about finding the potential in oneself and embracing the life as full of opportunities to begin again.

“Want” is an interesting word. It means lack.

I had the book on my shelf for a while now but I really picked up the book after I saw RM, Tae , and Suga being engrossed by it on In the Soop, Season 2. Being in love with life is the need of the hour and the beautiful metaphors of this plot captures the essence of it aptly.

Delving into the multiverse, this book deals with personal regrets, life choices, and epiphanies. The lives that we live and the things we yearn for makes us think that we don’t have enough, whereas, the truth is we can always step up things that we can change and experience the plethora of potential in a life that we’re living. It’s never too late.

This subtly emotional book has been one of the good reads of the year for me. Not littered with high language, this book actually has an enchanting plot. The whole concept of a library between life and death and trying out potential lives drew me in instantly. Having people to stand by you while you go through the daily drudgery might be something insignificant, but actually can have a huge impact in life.

Never underestimate the big importance of small things.

The complex theories of life, death, and time is simplified in this book. This breathtaking plot deals with the guilt and disappointment that is actually really palpable from the style of writing. This life that lacks something, not quite specific, leaves a deep dissatisfaction in the lived experience of the protagonist. She, Nora, describes herself as a black hole. She is destruction and she is useless, to herself and others, or so she feels. The story takes us on a journey to realize otherwise. It is a book about a life in pursuit of happiness. It gives the protagonist not only a second chance at life but it is a store of possibilities for when Nora has blamed herself for everything that has gone wrong in her life. The Book of Regrets is filled with regrets that are insignificant and her life is not as useless as she believes it to be and most importantly, what she thinks she wants might not be needed for her.

It’s the fact that she does find everything she had wished for in her root life and does undo all her regrets and still could not put down her roots has an important lesson in itself that resonates with you even after you’ve put down the book. This book might just be the only 5 star read of 2021 for me.

So now, I’m having trouble to capture the feelings of this book in words without giving away too much, but the least that can be said about it is that it’s a personal experience. It makes you feel understood and to me, that’s great literature. So I’ll end with a quote.

The only way to learn is to live.