Kathy Hamilton (I only share books that I believe in. If you buy through my links, I may earn a commission. Thank you for your support)
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa has taken the world by storm thanks to a recent English translation by Eric Ozawa. There’s something about this reflective and calming book that represents everything I love about Japanese fiction.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop joins a growing list of Japanese novels that invite readers to contemplate life and what truly matters. If you are already a fan of books like “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” and “The Cat Who Saved Books” this will feel like a natural fit for your collection. However, if you’ve yet to sample the delights of this niche, it also offers a nice introduction.
It’s important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life.
There’s something about Japanese-translated fiction that always makes me feel deeply. Perhaps it’s because the books I go for often end up being reflective and focused on human nature. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is no exception, it packs a lot of depth into such a short book!
On the surface, this is a simple tale. But, of course, since this is Japanese fiction there is a lot more going on beneath the surface. If you’re looking for a book that tackles love, loss, hope, and the courage it takes to strive for the life we want, this might just be perfect for you! In many ways it is the Morisaki Bookshop that takes centre stage, offering a redemptive new beginning and a safe haven for all that enter it, including Takako our protagonist.
What is the Plot of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop?
When Takako’s boyfriend reveals he is marrying someone else, her world shatters. She reluctantly accepts her uncle Satoru’s offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above his bookshop hoping to hide away while she grieves. Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, The Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko 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 Morisaki bookshop. Despite hardly ever having read a book before in her life, Takako finds herself drawn into this world and is reluctant to leave its peaceful, healing charm. As summer fades to autumn, both Takako and her uncle discover that life still has a lot to teach them about love, and the healing power of books.
My Thoughts on Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
This book is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a book to sink into an armchair and read in one sitting. It’s contemplative and features a host of enigmatic characters that make it an enjoyable read. However, it doesn’t require too much focus either, so you can allow yourself to drift off into a work of cosy bookshops and the healing power of human connection. I love books like this as they act like a welcome antidote to the fast-paced and often heavy world around us.
“… maybe it takes a long time to figure out what you’re truly searching for. Maybe you spend your whole life just to figure out a small part of it.”
That being said, although I enjoyed Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, at times I would have like the characters to be a little more fleshed out. I have a feeling that Satoshi Yagasawa was hinting at the complicated and enigmatic nature of humans. How you can live next to a person for decades and still never completely understand their hidden depths. But, perhaps, in a book as brief as this one I would have liked that spelled out a little more. As occasionally it left me feeling little inclination to forgive or understand a specific character’s motives.
Despite this, the overarching narrative arc of the power of a good book and the connection between humans won me over. I really enjoyed reading Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and did find myself thinking about its message for days afterwards. Which is the sign of a good book if you ask me!
If you’d like to read “How Should One Read a Book” by Virginia Woolf you can pick up a copy here(bookshop) or here (Amazon)
