What You are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama and Alison Watts (Translator)
Print Length: 304 pages
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Genre: Japanese Literature, Adult Fiction, Contemporary
After finishing the book ‘The Door-To-Door Bookstore’ by Carsten Henn, I usually check out the Goodreads “Readers also enjoyed” section below. By scrolling through this section, you can find many books of the same kind. The algorithm used by Goodreads seems to know my preferences better than I do myself, and I fully accept that. Therefore, with a solid 4.3 rating, I couldn’t resist adding this book to my library reserve. And I am so glad that I did.
TL;DR (Note: This section was assisted by Frontdoor.)
- 1) The book centers around an enigmatic Japanese librarian, Sayuri Komachi, who has the unique ability to sense what library visitors are seeking in life and recommend the perfect book for them.
- 2) Each chapter features a different library patron, from a restless sales clerk to a struggling working mom. Conversations with the librarian and her surprise book recommendations end up transforming their lives.
- 3) There is a charming, magical quality to the library, and connecting people with the right books at critical junctions provides them with inspiration and new direction.
- 4) Overarching themes highlighted include the power of libraries to build community, the importance of friendship, and how books can provide life-changing wisdom when we feel lost or stuck.
- 5) The book serves as an uplifting tribute to libraries and librarians, who play an underrated yet profound role in many people’s lives by connecting them with literature that speaks to their souls.
- 6) With its heartwarming premise and belief in the transcendent power of books, it likely appeals to any book lover who understands how the right words at the right time can change one’s perspective.
What I do know is that there’s no need to panic, or do more than I can cope with right now. For the time being, I plan to simply get my life in order and learn some new skills, choosing from what’s available.
Michiko Aoyama, What You are Looking for is in the Library
I loved this book, and I wish I could share that feeling in some tangible way with you; hence, this book review hopefully fulfills that desire in me. Its quite intriguing the books I have been choosing lately. Adult fiction hits you differently the moment you turn 30. I love how the purpose of books for me now has moved on from being interesting, entertaining, and educational to being relatable to my everyday life and normal chaos. This book has five different stories, all connected in beautiful and simple ways. The people range from different age groups and genders, facing problems like unemployment, motherhood, career change, and more. And since it is a Japanese-translated work, the setting and emotions of the places are well represented in the book through the lens of the everyday lives of a few people.
Everybody is connected. And any one of their connections could be the start of a network that branches in many directions. If you wait for the right time to make connections, it might never happen, but if you show your face around, talk to people and see enough to give you the confidence that things could work out, then ‘one day’ might turn into ‘tomorrow’ .
Michiko Aoyama, What You are Looking for is in the Library
The book is not a grand epic story with larger-than-life characters and situations. Instead, it is filled with little gems scattered throughout the dialogues of a particular librarian, Sayuri Komachi. Sayuri has an innate ability to recommend books that suit your present situation and show you a perspective you had not considered before.
“You may say that it was the book, but it’s how you read a book that is most valuable, rather than any power it might have itself.”
Michiko Aoyama, What You are Looking for is in the Library
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for its simplicity yet profound approach to analyzing human stories. By the end, I wanted to keep the book to myself, but it belongs in a library where it can add richness to other lives like it did for me.
Ratings on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being exceptional):
Quality of writing: 10
Pace: 9
Plot development: 8
Characters: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Insightfulness: 10
Ease of reading: 9
Photo/Illustrations: 7
About The Author
Michiko Aoyama (Author) Michiko Aoyama was born in 1970 in Aichi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. After university, she became a reporter for a Japanese newspaper based in Sydney before moving back to Tokyo to work as a magazine editor. What You are Looking for is in the Library was shortlisted for the Japan Booksellers’ Award and became a Japanese bestseller. It is being translated into more than twenty languages. Aoyama lives in Yokohama, Japan.
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