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A review by lybrarie
What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It feels almost ironic how this is exactly the book I didn't know I needed to read, that fell into my path at exactly the right time. As someone who is kind of feeling lost in their career, it was so heartwarming to read a book reminding me that there are way more options out there than I perhaps realised. It was like a warm and gentle nudge in the right direction. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time.
Aside from how perfect it was for me to read this book right now, I also really loved the actual story. It was really lovely to read about the lives and journies of the five characters we follow throughout the course of this book, and I really enjoyed how certain secondary or even tertiary characters (outside of the characters within the library) weaved their way through different stories, how you got little tidbits of their lives through the lense of each of the other characters we read from.
I did have a slight issue with the fatphobia in this book, but I am also aware that that is potentially the fault of a translation. Since I cannot speak Japanese and I do not know exactly how those aspects were phrased in the original language, I do not want to dock any stars for it as I might normally. Especially because of how much I loved the book outside of that, but I did want to point it out for anybody else who may be reading in English and want to be aware of that.
Aside from how perfect it was for me to read this book right now, I also really loved the actual story. It was really lovely to read about the lives and journies of the five characters we follow throughout the course of this book, and I really enjoyed how certain secondary or even tertiary characters (outside of the characters within the library) weaved their way through different stories, how you got little tidbits of their lives through the lense of each of the other characters we read from.
I did have a slight issue with the fatphobia in this book, but I am also aware that that is potentially the fault of a translation. Since I cannot speak Japanese and I do not know exactly how those aspects were phrased in the original language, I do not want to dock any stars for it as I might normally. Especially because of how much I loved the book outside of that, but I did want to point it out for anybody else who may be reading in English and want to be aware of that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia