A Bookseller's Story

by Nanako Hanada

Nanako Hanada is the manager of a bookshop in Tokyo. A passionate book reader, she used to love her job. Yet, this book opens with her in crisis. Having recently separated from her husband and moved out of their flat, she has been getting by at youth hostels and internet cafes. At work, with fewer people buying books, her bookshop has turned into a place she no longer recognises. She realises how narrow her life has become, having no friends apart from colleagues, and her only hobbies being reading and arranging books.

To reclaim afresh a sense of direction and excitement in her life, Nanako joins a meet-up site where people meet for 30-minute bursts to find romance, build a network, or just share ideas. She displays in her profile the only thing she has to offer, her knowledge of books, and offers to match people to titles they might enjoy. So starts Nanako's year-long journey of recommending books to an eclectic range of strangers around Tokyo.

Written with a subtle sense of humour, A Bookseller's Story is a heart-warming book of a bookseller's self-discovery. It offers a glimpse into bookselling in Japan, as well as into Tokyo and its people: books, once again, offer inspiration and serve as channels of human communication.

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