What you are looking for is in the library

Japanese writer Michiko Aoyama is closely connected to the media world. She worked as a journalist in the US and then as a newspaper editor in Tokyo. Her novel What you are looking for is in the library shows her love for books and libraries. It consists of five stories of individuals who are faced with a difficult decision in their lives that is related to their work. Tomoka is unhappy with her job in a shop, Ryo does not want to take the risk of running his own antique shop, for Natsumi motherhood is an obstacle to career development, Hiroya is still unemployed at 30 and Masao is looking for meaning in life after retirement. All five characters find themselves in the local library through a combination of circumstances. There they meet the eccentric librarian Sayuri Komachi. She offers them an extra book in addition to those they are looking for and gives them an object made of felt. Although they don’t seem to need the extra book, it changes their lives forever. Ode to libraries reminds us of the importance of the librarian’s role in reading advice. A pleasant, warm content that encourages readers to follow their dreams. (EZ)