What you are looking for is in the library, written by Michiko Aoyama and translated by Alison Watts
I love the idea that a wise librarian could point you in a direction you had not thought of, which would turn out to be the perfect answer to what you were struggling with. In this book, we meet five different people, each of whom is unhappy with their life in some way:
- Tomoka, 21 womenswear sales assistant
- Ryo, 35, accounts department of a furniture manufacturer
- Natsumi, 40, former magazine editor
- Hiroya, 30, NEET (not in employment, education or training)
- Masao, 65, retired
Somehow, each of them ends up at the community library and meets Sayuri Komachi, a librarian who asks them what they are looking for and gives them a list of books that includes one unrelated book as well as a bonus gift, a small felted object. The seemingly unrelated book ends up leading them to the answer they need to find happiness in their lives.
One thing that I found jarring was the reaction each of the characters had to the librarian when they first saw her. She is a large woman, and the descriptions of her appearance are quite derogatory. They each assume that she is an angry, unapproachable person and are surprised when she is friendly and helpful.
Putting that aside, I found the conclusions that each person reached to be very satisfying and thought-provoking. I am glad that I read this book.
In So Many Words 