Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

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GENRE: Contemporary fiction. Japanese literature. 

FIRST PUBLISHED: Shogakukan Inc, 2010. My copy - Manilla Press, 2023.

READING TIME: Approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes. 

THEMES: Family. Books/reading. Bookshops. Love. Loss. Healing from heartbreak. Trauma. Relationships. 

PURCHASED FROM: Waterstones

PLOT: Takako is a young, heartbroken woman who unwillingly goes to live with her uncle Satoru in a secondhand bookshop, Jimbocho, Tokyo. She comes to love the bookshop and reconnects with her uncle, whilst forming friendships with the locals, all of which lead her to healing, maturity, and a fresh start.

MY REFLECTIONS: The overall atmosphere of the book is one of heartwarming cosiness. Sadly I couldn't connect with Takako or the other characters. I found them all very bland and lacking in personality. Takako is in her twenties but seems more like a teenager, and due to this the story has coming of age vibes about it. Despite some of the heavy themes it's a light and easy read - the writer keeps it that way; using Takako's inexperience and immaturity. For me there was not nearly enough depth or insight to interest me. It's not a bad book, but it's not a book for me. I feel that it started well and then lost its appeal, turning into, generally, a middle of the road read. 

Something I did like was the setting of the bookshop, on a street of many other bookshops, and the idea of living in a bookshop! 



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