Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Book – Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Translator: Eric Ozawa
Pages – 160 pages, Paperback
Genre – Literature & Fiction, Japanese Literature
Publisher – HarperPerennial
Rating: 3.5/5 starts
About The Book
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa is about a young woman who loses everything but finds herself—a tale of new beginnings, love, family relationships, and the comfort that can be found in books.
The story revolves around the life of Takako at her uncle’s secondhand bookstore following a heartbreaking split with Hideiki. The narrative unfolds as Takako learns to heal and move forward from the shattered relationship.
Book Review
They say that books tend to find its own reader and I guess it’s true. I started reading Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa without a clue of what it had to offer. And it hit home. I needed to read exactly what had been written in this book. I needed to know what I am going though is normal and it isn’t just me. It made me feel seen even when I was alone in my room, reading this book with tears in my eyes.
Satoshi Yagisawa has done an excellent job at storytelling and weaving an exquisite plotline. The second half of the book did give me a dramatic Bollywood movie vibe, but nevertheless, the delivery of dialogues and the language used kept the book flowing seamlessly. I did start losing interest at this point. It revolved mostly around Takako’s uncle’s wife.
And ofcourse, the setup. Morisaki Bookshop is at Jimbōchō, the district of Tokyo famous for its array of second-hand bookshops. Who wouldn’t dream to work at a bookstore and have a room to live your life on the same block above the store! It was wonderful to watch Takako fall in love with reading books.. going from a non-reader to someone who is always looking for a new book to read.
It was wonderful to see Takako pull herself out of the dark gloomy cloud.
Would I recommend this Book?
The book is not extraordinary. But it is a book which everyone will need at some point of time – maybe when you are going through a heartbreak. The book did not sound preachy but infact spoke to me as a friend. Just like books helped Takoka move on, this book did it’s job for me upto certain extent. It is a joyful and easy read, especially for a vacation.
Also Read – Book Review: I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee
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My Favorite Quotes From Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
“Don’t be afraid to love someone. When you fall in love, I want you to fall in love all the way. Even if it ends in heartache, please don’t live a lonely life without love. I’ve been so worried that because of what happened you’ll give up on falling in love. Love is wonderful. I don’t want you to forget that. Those memories of people you love, they never disappear. They go on warming your heart as long as you live. When you get old like me, you’ll understand.”
― Satoshi Yagisawa, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
“It’s funny. No matter where you go, or how many books you read, you still know nothing, you haven’t seen anything. And that’s life.”
― Satoshi Yagisawa, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
“It’s important to stand still sometimes. Think of it as a little rest in the long journey of your life. This is your harbor. And your boat is just dropping anchor here for a little while. And after you’re well rested, you can set sail again.”
― Satoshi Yagisawa, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
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