Satoshi Yagisawa (1) (1977–)

This is a book of two halves. The first half follows the disappointment of Takako as her apparent love-life disintegrates before her eyes. She abandons her job and eventually takes refuge at the Morisaki Bookshop owned by her uncle. There she lives in a room above the shop and slowly recharges her batteries under the care of her very kind uncle and his eclectic set of devoted customers. Once she is able to confront her deceitful “boyfriend” she is well on her way to recovery.

The second half of the book is centred on Takako’s uncle, Satoru, whose wife Momoko had left him five years earlier. Her sudden reappearance sends shockwaves through the whole used-bookstore community. Satoru enlists his niece’s help in ferreting out both why Momoko left and why she came back, and, more important, whether she is back for good.

This second story is ultimately both very sad and heartwarming. So be prepared for tears and joy. Such sentimentality is perhaps not unusual in Japanese popular fiction and no doubt explains why this book was such a success in Japan.

Gently recommended.… (more)

I loved the descriptions of bookstores, falling in love with reading, & sharing your favorite novel. Some things felt like they were lost in translation. I didn’t feel much of an emotional connection to the main characters, but some of that might have been a cultural difference. It seemed like the book headed in a very different direction in the second half. Definitely still enjoyed it, but I was wishing for something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“I don’t think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don’t know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.”

“It's only in secondhand books that you can savor encounters like this, connections that transcend time. And that's how I learned to love the secondhand bookstore that handled these books, our Morisaki Bookshop. I realized how precious a chance I'd been given, to be part of that little place, where you can feel the quiet flow of time.”… (more)

One day twenty-five year old Takako is stunned when her boyfriend announces over dinner that he is getting married. It doesn't sound like a proposal. Come to find out, he has been in a relationship with another woman at their workplace since before they began dating. But don't worry, they can still see each other. Horrified, she quits her job and holes up in her apartment, sleeping thirteen hours a day. As her savings run low, she moves into a room above her uncle's bookshop, in exchange for opening the store in the mornings. Slowly she comes out of her depression, discovers the joys of reading, and reconnects with her uncle whom she hadn't seen in ten years.

I enjoy books about books and was looking forward to a light novel about readers. Unfortunately this one was even lighter than I expected, and my ignorance of modern Japanese authors made it difficult for me to appreciate the book talk. There is a sudden shift midway through the book, and the second half takes place a year and a half later with the return of her uncle's estranged wife. It felt like two stories cobbled together. Although the book didn't work for me, it was an inoffensive easy read, and not a bad way to spend a couple of hours. I appreciated the translator's note, which listed which books mentioned in the novel are available in translation.… (more)