The Reading List

When she arrives home, Aleisha notices that the house is dark and the living room has been trashed. She goes upstairs and finds her mother’s bedroom in disarray. She finds Leilah huddled in a corner, upset because Aidan never came home. Aleisha is sure there is some explanation and tries to calm her mother: “Aidan [i]sn’t the type to be out of the house for a long time” (274). It is when she spots his cell phone on the charger that Aleisha first panics—Aidan would go nowhere without his phone.

Mukesh enjoys reading Little Women, a story about the fun and imaginative March sisters and how supportive the family is. Mukesh understands that since Naina’s death, he has separated himself from his own family. He resolves to make up for the neglect by hosting a big family dinner. He feels Naina is proud of him. He heads out, up the hill to the grocery store, telling himself over and over that he can do this.

That night, when his daughters each arrive, he is in command of the evening meal. As they eat, Priya chats amiably with Mukesh about To Kill a Mockingbird. She understands the book’s difficult theme: how wrong it is to hurt someone innocent.