What You Are Looking For Is In The Library

 

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library / Michiko Aoyama
trans. from the Japanese by Alison Watts
Toronto, ON : Hanover Square Press, 2023, c2020
300 p.

This is a lovely small book following the lives of 5 different characters, who all have in common Sayuri Komachi, a librarian in the small community-centre-based neighbourhood library. 

Each character appears in the next one's story, even if incidentally, and that's a nice connection too -- this really does feel like a neighbourhood. And throughout each story, Sayuri Komachi seems to magically know just what book to give her readers. They each ask for something, and Mrs. Komachi gives them a list of topical books on the subject they are requesting, but there is something extra too; an odd book that is a total outlier at first glance, but turns out to be exactly what they didn't even know they needed.  

From a young woman stuck in a nowhere retail job, to a stay at home mother wanting to re-enter her publishing career, to a new retiree and a young man looking to get out into the world and find a role for himself -- there are many different life moments represented here, and many different kinds of books that will help them. Mrs. Komachi has a mystical sense of what her readers need, even when they don't know themselves, and so the stories are unexpected and engaging as we follow their journeys of discovery. 

The tone is light, although there are some uplifting passages meant to encourage the readers of this meta-tale. It's like self-help but not so obvious or strident. The use of books to help during life transitions is what bibliotherapy is all about, and that's something I'm always interested in. While Mrs. Komachi is almost divine in her ability to see what someone needs, in real life, with some conversation and research, many librarians can also provide potential titles to help a reader through a life transition. So I found this book charming and fascinating for many reasons! 

There is also the inclusion of cats, little felted figurines, sweet cookies, and many other charming and comforting elements. This is a book that will leave you with a positive feeling, a great one to read if you're feeling a bit down and need some uplift. It's written in short connected chapters so also easy to dip into bit by bit. A great discovery!