N S Ford

Review of ‘Days at the Morisaki Bookshop’ by Satoshi Yagisawa

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This is a pleasant, simple read which has the simple yet elegant narration I have often encountered in novels translated from Japanese.

Book cover shows bookshop with silhouettes in the doorway.

The narrator is Takako, a young woman who, having been ditched by her boyfriend, does not know what to do with her life. Her eccentric uncle reaches out to her with the offer of a room at his bookstore in Tokyo. Not much of a reader, Takako eventually comes to love classic Japanese authors and meets several people in the bookshop district who impact her life.

I liked this book but I can’t summon up a lot of enthusiasm for it somehow. Perhaps it was just a bit too nice. Also there is a cat on the front cover, but as far as I remember, no cat in the story.

First published in 2010. This edition translated from Japanese by Eric Ogawa and published in 2023 by Harper.

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Comments

2 responses to “Review of ‘Days at the Morisaki Bookshop’ by Satoshi Yagisawa”

  1. (Kitty) Cat Strawberry - Meow! avatar
    (Kitty) Cat Strawberry – Meow!

    This is a book I really want to read, although I’m now a bit miffed to the cat that was all over the advertising I saw in the lead up to this book’s release if there isn’t an actual cat in the story🤔 Sometimes the translation can make or break a book, although I do like books that are nice, a good contrast to some darker reads sometimes though ovbiously not for everyone. 🙂

    Reply
    1. nsford avatar
      nsford

      It’s following the trend of Japanese books with cats on the cover! I’m quite sure there wasn’t a cat, but even if there was, must have been a passing mention. It’s definitely a ‘nice’ read, there is a sequel called ‘More Days…’ but I don’t feel sufficiently interested to read it. Thanks for your comment 🙂

      Reply

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