Reviewed by Jeanne
The Hatori Community House is a place where people can do many
different things, such as attend a class on computers or learn to play Go. It also has a handy library and an even
handier librarian in Sayuri Komachi. She
is a large lady, very white, and her book recommendations are always on
point—even if some of the choices may seem a bit odd. Her hobby is felting
animals and objects and she always gives one of these to her patron as a bonus
gift.
As with several Japanese books I’ve read recently, the novel
is a series of stories with something in common. There are five stories, each
featuring a different character who is at some sort of cross road. He or she is unhappy or bored with life and
wants to make a change. They end up at
the library where they are given what they ask for and a little extra.
Each story is a little gem, and each has something to say
about books, readers, the power of story, and yes, libraries. I admit I wasn’t quite on board at first, in
part because of some cultural differences but one of the pleasures of books is
seeing different viewpoints. For example, the librarian is a very large, very
pale woman, something that each character notes in some way: she’s a polar
bear, the Michelin man, a ball of rice. She’s also a bit otherworldly, like an
oracle, though one patron thinks of Kwan Yin, the goddess of mercy. Some readers found that off-putting, but I
saw it as more a way of conveying an otherness about her.
All the stories make the character reassess what they want out
of life, which can lead to some reader introspection. Sometimes we become
fixated on one outcome and don’t allow that circumstances change and perhaps
some of our goals should as well.
Most of all, there are so many wonderful quotes about
books! I am going to buy my own copy and
a highlighter to note passages* like this one:
“Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of
the writer’s intentions, and each reader gains something unique.”
I could go off on a whole spiel about that, but I’ll refrain
except to say that books and readers are as alchemy that creates unique
experiences. No two people read a book
the exact same way.
*Sarah Addison Allen gave me permission to do this in her
wonderful book Other Birds.
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