brenticus reviewed Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
The Japanese bestseller: a tale of love, new beginnings, and the comfort that can be …
None
3 stars
This story has amazing vibes. The feeling of the bookshop, the way people talk about books and reading, the nuggets of people's lives in the area, it all just hits right.
The actual plot didn't feel particularly inspired, or even particularly sensible. Momoko is just bizarre, and Satoru is almost overly wholesome, and Takako has so little agency it's a bit hard to attach her name to her character at times.
But the settings of Morisaki Bookshop and the Saveur cafe are just lovely, and all the side characters we meet in those places add such character to the novel that it's still an enjoyable read.
The actual plot didn't feel particularly inspired, or even particularly sensible. Momoko is just bizarre, and Satoru is almost overly wholesome, and Takako has so little agency it's a bit hard to attach her name to her character at times.
But the settings of Morisaki Bookshop and the Saveur cafe are just lovely, and all the side characters we meet in those places add such character to the novel that it's still an enjoyable read.