Book Synopsis:
The Japanese bestseller: a tale of love, new beginnings, and the comfort that can be found between the pages of a good book.
When twenty-five-year-old Takako’s boyfriend reveals he’s marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle Satoru’s offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above his shop.
Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, the Morisaki Bookshop is a booklover’s paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building, the shop is filled with hundreds of second-hand books. It is Satoru’s pride and joy, and he has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife left him five years earlier.
Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the shop.
And as summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.
Quirky, beautifully written, and movingly profound, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop will appeal to readers of Before The Coffee Gets Cold, The Cat Who Saved Books, and anyone who has had to recover from a broken heart.
My Review:
Days At The Morisaki Bookshop is a cosy, light-hearted read that is perfect for book lovers.
Firstly I loved the setting in the book which has made me all the more determined to visit Japan one day. The idea that there is a whole district just for second hand bookstores appealed to my bookish heart and made me run to google to see pictures of it for myself. The book also allows the reader to explore some of the Japanese mountains alongside the characters which sounded really beautiful too. I found it fascinating to learn more about Japanese culture, especially their use of shrines for praying and their ritual of bowing to each other when they meet.
The character’s are all interesting creations that I enjoyed following throughout the book. I’m not sure I ever really warmed to the main character Takako sadly, though I did feel sorry for her and the situation she suddenly finds herself in. She just seemed a bit standoffish at times and quite opinionated about other people. My favourite character was her uncle who I warmed to instantly with his wonderful attitude to life and the lovely advice that he gives to Takoko when she is at her lowest.
I thought the book had a steady pace to it and I soon found myself emerged into the bookshop world. The author has truly written a book to appeal to any book lover and it was wonderful to watch Tatoko rediscover her love of reading. It was great to follow her in her search for new authors and to see her new joy of reading slowly heal her. Part of me does wish the book had just been set in the bookshop as I would have been happy just hanging out there and learning more about the fantastic community that surrounds the bookshop but then I wouldn’t have got to explore more of Japan.
I chose this for the Rossiter book club read last month and I do recommend it as a book club read as I think there is lots to discuss.
About The Author:
Satoshi Yagisawa was born in Chiba, Japan, in 1977. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, his debut novel, was originally published in 2009 and won the Chiyoda Literature Prize.
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