Why do most Japanese bestsellers have cats and cherry blossom on the front cover? It’s a lovely design which drew me in but I think that’s my favourite thing about this book! It’s quite a ‘nice’ read with a formulaic structure, each chapter focusing on a person struggling with their career who is helped by a librarian at a community centre. I felt that the messages in it were conservative in the approach to relationships, social situations and jobs. I suppose it shows the cultural difference but there was something depressing about this supposedly heartwarming read. The librarian herself was always described as huge and pale, like some kind of monster. She’s almost not human. I would have liked a chapter at the end from her perspective, or at least telling us more about her. I liked that she gifted little felted creations to the customers which seemed random to them, but which represented the direction they should go in to improve their lives.

First published in Japan, 2020. English translation by Alison Watts published by Penguin, 2023.